US supports India's rise as capable actor in region: Official

WASHINGTON: The US supports India's rise as a capable actor in the region and deepening bilateral defence cooperation is a part of it, an Obama administration official said today.

"Our defence cooperation with India, as you know, is strong. It's a leading pillar of our broad relationship," State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

"We support India's rise as a capable actor in the region, and part of that is deepening our defence cooperation," Toner said.

His comments came as its Defence Secretary Ashton Carter concluded his India visit.

"We support positive, peaceful, stable relations with all countries in the region, and that includes India and China. There's no zero-sum," he said.