US spokesperson says 'would not endorse' Rahul's 'Pakistan-China' remark

In Parliament, the Congress leader said while the strategic goal of India has been to keep China and Pakistan apart, the government was doing the opposite

The United States "would not endorse" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks in which he had alleged that the foreign policy decisions of the BJP-led government have brought all-weather allies China and Pakistan together against India, a top American diplomat has said.

"I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC (the People's Republic of China) to speak to their relationship. I certainly would not - would not endorse those remarks," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday in response to a question on Gandhi's comments in Lok Sabha.

Responding to another question in his press briefing, Price further said that the countries are not required to choose between the US 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 United States and China. It is our intention to provide choices to countries when it comes to what the relationship with the United States looks like.

"And we think partnership with the United States conveys a series of advantages that countries typically would not find when it comes to the sorts of partnerships that 'partnerships' may be the wrong term; the sorts of relationships that the PRC has seeked to has sought to have around the world, he said.

Interestingly, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday left for China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and also meet with top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping.

The relations between the US and China are at an all-time low. The two countries are engaged in a bitter confrontation over various issues, including trade, Beijing's aggressive military moves in the disputed South China Sea and human rights in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang region.

The state department spokesman described Pakistan, which has All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with China, as a strategic partner of the United States and said, We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it's a relationship that we value across a number of fronts.

Pakistan-US ties are on uneven keel as despite efforts, President Joe Biden has not made a direct contact to Prime Minister Khan, irking the Pakistan government. Khan was also not invited for a key summit on environment.

Speaking first from the Opposition side in Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address on Wednesday, Gandhi said while the strategic goal of India has been to keep China and Pakistan apart, the government was doing the opposite.

"We have made huge strategic mistake in our foreign policy...you have brought China and Pakistan together, you have taken the concept of two different fronts and converted it into one unified front...It is very clear that the Chinese and the Pakistanis are planning. Look at the weapons they are buying, look at their activity, look at the way they are talking, look at who they are speaking too...," he said.

Pakistan has recently acquired a full squadron of 25 multirole J-10C fighter jets from its all weather ally China in response to India's purchase of Rafale aircraft.

Reacting to Gandhi's allegations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted, "Perhaps, some history lessons are in order: In 1963, Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam valley to China. China built the Karakoram highway through PoK in the 1970s."

Jaishankar said from the 1970s, the two countries also had close nuclear collaboration.

"In 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor started. So, ask yourself: were China and Pakistan distant then?" he questioned the Congress leader.