Washington DC, Feb. 13 -- US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Paul Kapur, has called India an important ally in America's moves against China and underlined that a strong India not only keeps China out of the Indo-Pacific region but also prevents it or any single hegemon from taking over or imposing coercive leverage on the region.

He made the remarks on Wednesday while testifying to the subcommittee on South and Central Asia's hearing to examine America's foreign policy across South-Central Asia.

When asked his assessment of how India is going to support the American efforts across the Indo-Pacific region to counter an increasingly aggressive China, Kapur said that a strong India not only keeps China out but also prevent...