Indo-US ties one of the defining 21st century partnerships: US security adviser Tom Donilon

WASHINGTON: Describing the Indo-US relations as one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, a top Obama administration official has said America "fervently" supports India's rise.

"The President considers US relations with India, the world's largest democracy, to be 'one of the defining partnerships of the twenty-first century'", National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said yesterday.

"From Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh's visit in 2009 to the President's ( Barack Obama) trip to India in 2010, the US has made clear at every turn that we don't just accept India's rise, we fervently support it," Donilon said in his address to the Asia Society in New York.

"US and Indian interests powerfully converge in the Asia- Pacific, where India has much to give and much to gain. Southeast Asia begins in Northeast India, and we welcome India's efforts to 'look East', from supporting reforms in Burma to trilateral cooperation with Japan to promoting maritime security," he said.

"In the past year, for example, India-ASEAN trade increased by 37 per cent to USD 80 billion," Donilon pointed out in his major foreign policy speech on Asia. He spoke on efforts of the White House on building new ties in the region.

In his speech, Donilon specified India and Indonesia as the two countries to build new relationship.

Donilon said the overarching objective of the US in the region is to sustain a stable security environment and a regional order rooted in economic openness, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for universal rights and freedoms.

"To pursue this vision, the US is implementing a comprehensive, multidimensional strategy: strengthening alliances; deepening partnerships with emerging powers; building a stable, productive, and constructive relationship with China; empowering regional institutions; and helping to build a regional economic architecture that can sustain shared prosperity," he said.