US to deepen ties with India, sees China as global rival

New Delhi, March 5: A new US Interim National Security Guidance paper has castigated China as "increasingly assertive" while adding that Washington will deepen its partnership with India.

The vision document by the US also says that the country will build a stronger military presence in the Indo-Pacific and in Europe as it builds alliances with like-minded countries.

Released on Wednesday, the 21-page document highlights President Joe Biden's national security strategy.

Biden said the document would, "convey my vision for how America will engage with the world" and guide his administration while Washington begins work on a new National Security Strategy.

The report calls Beijing "the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system".

It also points to Russia as an adversary but focuses more on China and the multifarious challenges it poses to the democratic world. The report acknowledges that China has become a formidable power and the main opponent.

In a pragmatic way the report also looks at the fact that the US wouldn't be able to restrain China alone. "We can do none of this work alone. For that reason, we will reinvigorate and modernise our alliances and partnerships around the world," the report says.

It adds that the US will have to "promote a favourable distribution of power to deter and prevent adversaries from directly threatening the UN and our allies, inhibiting access to the global commons, or dominating key regions".

"Our democratic alliances enable us to present a common front, produce a unified vision, and pool our strength to promote high standards, establish effective international rules, and hold countries like China to account," it said.