India's rise on the world stage can shape a brighter future for Asia and beyond, as hearing its voice is "essential" at a time when the rule-based global order comes under attack, the US said today.
"United States unabashedly supports India's rise as a great power on the world stage. India's reach and influence reaches well beyond the Indian Ocean and South Asia," US envoy to India Richard Verma said.
The remarks came in the backdrop of China rejecting a ruling by an international court of arbitration rejecting its territorial claims over islands in the South China Sea.
Speaking at the National Law University here, Verma said India's rise was a good development for the rules-based Post World War II order, upon which both India and US have relied.
Since the end of World War II, the international system has been built through global institutions, international rules and norms, with key tenets such as resolving disputes peacefully under the rule of law, he said.
"When this order comes under attack - and it does from state and non-state actors alike - hearing India's voice and understanding its views is essential," Verma said.
The envoy said US-India relations have made great strides in the past two years in particular, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama having met 8 times, including last week in China and then again in Laos.
"We have well over 100 initiatives that were launched in three big bilateral summits and there are nearly 40 working groups that meet regularly on everything from global health and defence to cyber security," he said.
Verma said both countries have bi-cameral Parliaments, with one chamber designed to be closer to the will of the people, and the upper house, a more deliberative body, serving as a critical check on unfettered power.
"Our exceptional militaries are overseen by civilians, a key facet of a well-functioning democracy. Both our countries are melting pots - we celebrate and embrace diversity, we protect minority rights; we guarantee our people equal protection under the law and we embrace and protect free speech, the freedom of religion and the freedom of assembly," he said.
Noting that India too has gone through its share of challenges, he said like any democratic system, it will continue to face stresses and strains inherent in adapting to the needs of society, particularly in a more globalised world, and one where India is a leading power on the world stage.
Verma, who graduated from law school 23 years ago, said the two countries have established "a new paradigm" to address global issues based on the universality of legal principle and universal rights.
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"As we know, not all countries choose democracy, inclusiveness, equal rights or free elections. Therefore, these are the roots of a special bond we share with India," the US ambassador said.
Referring to the changes India has undergone, in economic and political arena, Verma said that the excitement and confidence about the future is the vision of India his parents hoped for.
"Their India was quite different - uncertain, riven with conflict and division, and the daily struggle to make a new democracy succeed," he said talking about his first-generation immigrant parents.
"My dad often tells the story about how he was supposed to graduate from high school in Punjab in 1947, but the graduation was put off for a full year given the turmoil of Partition and independence. How times have changed," The US Envoy said.
