Charlotte, NC – The United States will continue to cement the ongoing long-term strategic partnership with India as Washington credited the nations of the G-20, including India, for bringing the world economy back from the brink of another depression, according to the Democrat Party platform issued here on the eve of the Democrat National Convention (DNC).
The DNC platform (manifesto) at the convention to renominate President Barack Obama as the official candidate for the 2012 US Presidential elections announces, “We will continue to invest in a long-term strategic partnership with India to support its ability to serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the broader Indian Ocean region.”
Giving the G-20 nations credit, the document says, “We have made the G-20 the premier forum for international economic coordination in recognition of the fact that 21st century economic discussions must include countries like China, India, Indonesia, and Brazil. Together, the nations of the G-20 brought the world economy back from the brink of another depression.”
The platform which defines the continuing Obama Administration outlines, “As we have sought to re-balance our foreign policy, we have also turned greater attention to strengthening our alliances and expanding our partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. In part, this is in recognition that the United States has been, and always will be, a Pacific power.”
“And, in part, it is a recognition that America’s future security and prosperity will be fundamentally interconnected with Asia given its status as the fastest growing economic region, with most of the world’s nuclear powers and about half of the world’s population,” it continues.
On the broader Asia canvas, the document says, “President Obama has made modernizing America’s defense posture across the Asia-Pacific a top priority. We remain committed to defending and deepening our partnerships with our allies in the region: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand.”
Regarding global trade equations, the US will look to India and China, the most populous countries in the world. The DNC platform defines the region’s role, saying,
“We have also sought to promote free and fair trade. Because of the economic dynamism of the Asia-Pacific region, which is already home to more than half the global economy, expanding trade with that region is critical to creating jobs and opportunities for the American people.”
Although the US has locked horns in the recent past with both India and China over different issues at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the DNC platform highlights the actions and stance taken against China.
“We have also worked to ensure that American businesses and workers are competing on an even footing with our international competitors, and we have not hesitated to take action. That’s why the Obama administration has brought trade cases against China at twice the rate of the previous administration and recently set up a new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center, which substantially expands our ability to investigate and take action against unfair trade practices around the world.”
On the controversial subject of Internet freedom in China and India, the platform emphasizes the role Washington plays, noting, “The Obama administration has led the world to recognize and defend Internet freedom – the freedom of expression, assembly, and association online for people everywhere – through coalitions of countries and by empowering individuals with innovative technologies.”
The DNC platform adds a cautionary note that the US administration supports, “the current multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance,” while opposing, “the extension of intergovernmental controls over the Internet.” (IATNS)