News Politics National India to engage with China, add vigour to US ties: President

India to engage with China, add vigour to US ties: President

New Delhi: India would "engage energetically" with neighbours like China, Japan and Russia and bring in "renewed vigour" to its ties with the US, President Pranab Mukherjee said Monday.Addressing a joint sitting of both houses

On ties with the US, which are seen to have plateaued, the president said: "India and the US have made significant progress in developing strategic partnership over the years.

My government will bring a renewed vigour to our engagement and intensify it in all areas, including trade, investment, science and technology, energy and education."

Referring to ties with Europe, the president said the government "will make concerted efforts to achieve progress in key areas with the European Union as well as its leading members".

The president said the government would operationalize the international civil nuclear agreements with different countries and "nuclear power projects for civilian purposes will be developed".

In order to realise the country's soft power potential, "there is need to integrate it into our external interchange, with particular emphasis on our rich spiritual, cultural and philosophical heritage.