As the world is battling with the Wuhan virus and China’s grip over the global supply chain, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on India to end its dependence on Chinese goods, reports Wion.
There is already growing tensions between Washington and Beijing and this comment was made by Pompeo when he was addressing a US-India virtual business summit.
During his address, Pompeo said the current situation is a great opportunity for New Delhi to attract global supply chains away from China and said, “India has a chance to attract global supply chains away from China and reduce its reliance on Chinese companies in areas like telecommunications, medical supplies, and others. India is in this position because it has earned the trust of many nations around the world, including the United States.”
US-China relations took a nosedive since Donald Trump was elected president and the coronavirus pandemic has turned out to be the tipping point not to mention the deteriorating political situation in Hong Kong.
On Wednesday (July 23) Washington ordered Beijing to shut its consulate in Houston.
Also, on Tuesday (July 22), the United States Justice Department indicted two Chinese nationals for hacking defence contractors, COVID-19 researchers and hundreds of other victims worldwide according to Aljazeera.
China and India also have long had a prickly relationship and it hit a low ebb following a border clash on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead as well as an unknown number of Chinese casualties.
Pompeo said, “The clashes were initiated by China’s armed forces and were another example of unacceptable behaviour from China’s ruling Communist Party.”
He also said he supports India’s decision to ban 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, saying the video-sharing app “presents serious security risks for the Indian people”.
In the same event, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an open invitation to US companies to invest in his nation of 1.3 billion people, and this will help the economies both countries bounce back as the Coronavirus spreads.