On Rahul Gandhi's China-Pak nexus remark, US says they value ties with Pakistan

New Delhi, February 3

The US has said that it does not endorse Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy had strengthened the Pakistan-China relationship.

The US valued its relationship with Pakistan, which was its strategic partner, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price, adding that it was for the countries in question to speak for themselves.

“I certainly would not endorse those remarks,” he said, when asked to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s observation in Parliament on Wednesday that the government’s foreign policy was a failure because it had brought China and Pakistan together.

“I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC to speak to their relationship,” he said and pointed out that there was no need for the US to be concerned for other countries to choose between America and China.

“We’ve made the point all along that it is not a requirement for any country around the world to choose between the US and China. It is our intention to provide choices to countries when it comes to what the relationship with the United States looks like,” he said when asked whether Pakistan was working closely with China because it felt abandoned by the US.

“Pakistan is a strategic partner of the United States. We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it’s a relationship that we value across a number of fronts,” he said.