A ranking member of Congress who sits on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee has called for tighter military ties with India to counter an expansionist China, particularly at sea.
"I think there's great opportunity with the nation of India to continue to grow that relationship," Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican from Virginia told USNI News, a publication focused on the U.S. Navy.
Wittman said India "feels threatened with that, as they should-looks to the United States to partner even more. The Indian government is recapitalizing their fleet of (Indian Navy) ships, building 45 new ships, which is a pretty big task. We need to do more of the work with them."
India and China in the past year have had several clashes among troops along the disputed Himalayan border. But the two nations also square off at sea over the Indian Ocean and sea lanes leading to the Malacca Strait, among the world's busiest commercial shipping channels for access to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Wittman said the U.S. must improve its relationships with Indo-Pacific nations both strategically and economically. He admits the U.S. is not going to be able to go it alone against China.
"We will not have the ability just with economic resources that we have here at home to do all of this by ourselves," Wittman said.
