Pompeo wants closer US-India ties ahead talks

New recruits of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry participate in their graduation ceremony at a military base on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday (Oct 10, 2020). 301 new recruits were inducted into the Jammu-Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian army on Saturday. - AP

Washington, Oct 10 (AFP): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday urged closer ties with India as he warned of China's growing might on its doorstep, amid a flurry of diplomacy between the world's two largest democracies.

"They absolutely need the United States to be their ally and partner in this fight," Pompeo said of his four-way meetings earlier this week in Tokyo with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia.