New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remark in the Parliament on Wednesday regarding the strengthening bond between China and Pakistan has been refuted by US authorities.
Rahul Gandhi while criticising the government on a host of issues had said that India's arch rivals China and Pakistan have come closer due to the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's comments, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC to speak to their relationship. I certainly would not - would not endorse those remarks," quoted news agency ANI.
Price further said, '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 the 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 sought to have around the world."
Rahul's remarks were also condemned by several BJP leaders. External affairs minister S Jaishankar asked Rahul Gandhi to take some History lessons and accused the Congress of doing nothing when Pakistan illegally handed the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday had criticised the government's foreign Policy and called it a reason for China and Pakistan developing a strong relationship against India.