SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: I'll be -- I'll be brief. This is a really important stop because India is, I believe, destined to be a major strategic partner of the United States.
(inaudible) -- yeah. Sorry. Do I need to start over? Okay. Sorry.
So I -- as I said, I believe it is an important stop because I believe India and the United States are destined to be strategic partners in the future. It -- it is a large country, it's a rising military power, it is a democracy with which we share many common values and approaches to the world. The –concourse between our peoples is very strong. We're both multicultural societies, but nevertheless, hold together extremely well.
So we have a lot in common, both strategically and in terms of who we are. This is a relationship that we've all watched for a long time, but it has grown by leaps and bounds just in the last few years, as measured by -- I'm speaking now of the defense relationship -- the pace of joint activities that we do between our two militaries, including exercises, which -- (inaudible) -- one of our largest programs of exercises, their extension in scope, including two trilateral exercises as well as bilateral exercises.
And in two very important regards that I've characterized as strategic handshakes between our two nations. The first is the handshake between the U.S. rebalance about which you've heard a great deal the last couple of days and Prime Minister Modi's Act East policy, which kind of meet as an Asia Pacific focus for both of us. And the second is the handshake between our Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI, which goes back to 2012 and Prime Minister Modi -- (inaudible) -- India strategy.
So there is a lot going on in this relationship that is -- you couldn't have imagine what we're doing now in -- in 2008 and you couldn't imagine that in 2000. So that's the significance of this, but a lot more specifics that could be said, but let me get to you right away. I assume you want to go to Bob first? -- (inaudible).
Q: Thank you.
Is there a bigger or more constructive role that India can play in the Afghanistan problem?
SEC. CARTER: Well, there -- I -- India's already playing a very significant role in the sense that it is supporting civilian reconstruction, it's supporting economic activities -- (inaudible) -- attempted recently to increase the trade between India and Afghanistan, notwithstanding the geographic issues that separate them.
And so I think there's -- there is more that can be done for Afghanistan to help -- (inaudible) -- both political and economic future solidified and I think India will be critical to that because they are -- they share that region with them.
The importance of Central Asia and the belt that extends into the Middle East that includes Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iran and on up into the Middle East is strategic importance of that to the United States as well as our partners, like other countries that are in that region is one of the reasons why India's strategically important.
Even as you look east, which I mentioned -- (inaudible) -- already, to Southeast Asia, China, and the Asia-Pacific, India is pivotal in both directions where we have interests.
Q: -- (inaudible) -- Pakistan is going to come up in both your meetings. What's your method going to be in terms of the role that Pakistan can play and should play in the future?
SEC. CARTER: Well, -- I'm sorry -- so, I'm sorry -- well, with respect to -- certainly those issues will arise. With respect to Pakistan, I think that Pakistan's interests, and as they reflect upon them, are best served by stability and not instability in Afghanistan.
And in that connection, it's important that Pakistan not continue to offer or provide a place for those who destabilize Afghanistan, as well as those who threaten American service members in Afghanistan and other coalition service members; or who support terrorist groups, including those that target India; that it's important that Pakistan recognize, as we've all said to them -- I have said to their leaders for some time now -- that -- that kind of terrorism poses a principal strategic danger to the Pakistani state.
And that's an historic shift. It would require a historic shift in their focus . I hope they're making that focus over time. But I think it's a strategic -- (inaudible).
Q: -- (inaudible) -- Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
Just following up again on India. You're said you're destined to be strategic partners. Can you talk a little bit about what steps are kind of left on the table? You know, obviously, there are things that have been accomplished, but what would you like to get done, you know, going forward? What do you envision some of the do-outs?
SEC. CARTER: Well, there's a lot. There are a lot of projects that are underway under DTTI that are -- where we're working out the technical and sometimes economic details of them. I think one of the things I'll be discussing with my Indian counterparts tomorrow is the major change we're about to make in our export regulations as regards the status of India; a major defense partner.
And I should say -- that's -- that's pending, and that is very close to the finish line. The significance of that is, first of all, it's unique to India. It permits us to do things with India that have never been possible before. And it creates a presumption of approval for transactions with India which, again, remember, we come from a history of -- (inaudible) -- of India in the defense technical sphere.
We had completely different ecosystems, and we -- so it's difficult enough to get the two to work together. It's -- it's much more difficult if there are regulatory burdens to doing that. Those are -- (inaudible) -- so it's a number of projects -- (inaudible).
We are encouraging India, and again, India has some desire to increase its pace of exercises. We can talk about them. The extent to which those exercises are not just U.S.-India exercise, but U.S.-India-Japan exercises, U.S.-India-Australia exercises, things that show that spreading of that network I have been talking about.
So there are -- there are a whole number of things that are underway that just shows you the -- (inaudible) -- in this relationship, and it is catapulted by this -- the enormous -- (inaudible). I don't have any doubt about -- (inaudible) -- relationship is going. It's not about a -- it's not a question of direction, it's entirely a question of pace, and we can help set that pace by moving these things along. I expect to do that – some over the next couple of days -- (inaudible).
But there's a lot of momentum, so I’m confident it will continue because-- (inaudible) -- both the logic and the -- (inaudible).
Q: So -- sorry. Just quickly, how do you assess the relationship between China and -- (inaudible) -- recently? So China and -- (inaudible).
SEC. CARTER: Well, I -- I think that -- that China and the Philippines should speak to their own relationship.
I can only speak about our relationship with -- first of all, I'll say the Philippines. Philippines is a valued treaty ally of longstanding. We're committed to our alliance there. We're working with the Philippines in a number of ways. Obviously, it's always entirely a matter of a two-way street -- (inaudible) -- alliance relationship within that -- (inaudible).
And I think the way in which our interest overlap in that region will be that way in the future.
And with respect to China, we have a relationship that has a definite competitive aspect to it, which is important to me as secretary of defense -- (inaudible) -- about steps we're taking to make sure that our military capabilities remain ahead –Chinese military capabilities not because that we're expecting conflict or an expectation of that. But -- (inaudible) -- our part.
But we also cooperate a great deal with China -- (inaudible) -- exercises with us and we're constantly encouraging China to play a more constructive role. I spoke about our network -- network approach to security as principled and inclusive, and that explicitly is intended to include China. So we don't want them to exclude themselves as some of their actions tend to do. And that's not the American approach at all. It does have the affect of causing self-exclusion and -- (inaudible). We'd like to do more with them -- (inaudible).