NEW DELHI — India on Friday said it is looking forward to a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next week to further strengthen a partnership based on a shared commitment to a rule-based international order. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar welcomed a recent statement by Tillerson calling for an expansion of strategic ties. He said the United States and India shared goals of security, free navigation, free trade and an international rules-based order which is increasingly under strain. Both India and China have benefited from that order, but Tillerson said India had done so while respecting the rules and norms, while China had “at times” undermined them. In his Afghan strategy unveiled in August, U.S. President Donald Trump asked India to do more to help Afghanistan’s development.

Source: National Post October 20, 2017 12:21 UTC