Never considered India & China are on threshold of war: US Def Secy

New Delhi: United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that his country doesn't think that "India and China were at war". Speaking at a special briefing after holding talks with Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Austin said the US will continue to work with "like-minded countries" to ensure the right things are done to maintain peace.

Addressing a media briefing in the national Capital, the top US official said the Joe Biden administration would like to work with like-minded countries such as India to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Asked if the US ever thought that a war between India and China was imminent, Austin said: "No, to my knowledge we had never considered that India and China were on the threshold of war."

After holding wide-ranging talks with Singh, the US Defence Secretary said elevating the Indo-US defence partnership is a "priority" of the Biden administration, and that India is an increasingly important partner amid rapidly shifting international dynamics and a "central pillar" in Washington's approach towards the region.

"We are working with India, Australia and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure that freedom of navigation is maintained, and to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and open. There are a lot of capabilities in these countries," said Austin.

On a question about Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, Austin said that the US would like to work with like-minded partners such as India, Australia and Japan to maintain "freedom of navigation" in the region.

"We are doing the right things to promote peace and stability in the region and would like to work together for a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the Pentagon chief said.

There has been no discussion on possible American sanctions over India's plan to buy long-range S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia, Austin told reporters on Saturday.

"India hasn't acquired the S-400 Russian missile system yet, so the issue of sanctions was not discussed," Austin added.

When asked whether he discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the alleged violations of human rights particularly against minorities in India, Austin said he did not have the opportunity to talk about it with him.

"I did not have an opportunity to talk with him about that. Having said that I did have a conversation with other members of the Cabinet on this issue," he said.