US urges India to ‘reduce its reliance’ on China for telecoms, medical supplies

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said India had a chance to move its supply chains away from China ‘because it has earned trust’

He went on to accuse China of initiating the border clash in the Himalayas last month that led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said India should reduce its reliance on Chinese companies. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:55am, 23 Jul 2020Updated: 10:54am, 23 Jul 2020

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged India on Wednesday to focus on domestic supply chains and reduce its dependence on China for telecommunications and medical supplies, as Washington’s ties with Beijing deteriorate dramatically.

India had a chance to move “supply chains away from China and reduce its reliance on Chinese companies in areas like telecommunications, medical supplies and others,” Pompeo said at the US-India Business Council’s India Ideas Summit, being conducted online.

“India is in this position because it has earned the trust of many nations around the world, including the United States,” Pompeo said.

The US administration has squarely blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic and accused Chinese firms like Huawei of espionage and facilitating human rights violations in China, charges both the company and Beijing deny. The US has also lambasted China’s new national security law for the former British colony of Hong Kong.

The US ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

The US has told China to close its consulate in Houston in a dramatic deterioration in ties between the world’s two biggest economies amid accusations of Chinese espionage.

India’s relations with China have strained following a border clash in the Himalayas last month in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.