India, Vietnam Will Define The Future Of Asia, Expanded U.S. Cooperation With APAC Partners Causing China "Heartburn": White House Coordinator

India will be a key fulcrum player on the global stage in the 21st century, and successive American administrations have been united in that assessment, said Kurt Campbell, White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific said on Friday.

Campbell was speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace, a Washington-based think tank on the theme of 'Beyond AUKUS and the Quad: What’s Next for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy'.

"I'm very bullish about the future with India. I think we all recognize that the critical, crucial member in the Quad is India," Campbell said, referring to the Quad Security Dialogue among the U.S., Japan, India and Australia.

"This is a moment for thinking creatively and strategically about what's possible between the United States and India." he added.

He added that India, along with Vietnam and a few others, tops the list of critical countries that will define the future of Asia.

Campbell said that both "India and Vietnam as "critical" partners for future US regional strategy."

Campbell said that deadly border clashes with China has encouraged India to "reach out and to build, not just with the United States, but other countries, stronger bonds to signal that India is not alone and is working with other countries,"

Expanded U.S. cooperation with partners is causing China "heartburn" and Chinese President Xi Jinping made clear to President Joe Biden in a virtual meeting that Washington's work to bolster ties with allies represented Cold War thinking, Kurt Campbell said.

Campbell also said that Japan has agreed to host the next summit of the Quad group in 2022

During the first in-person Quad summit in Washington in September, leaders of the four countries committed to a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and agreed to hold a leaders' meeting annually.

Noting that Quad is not yet a "formal alliance", Campbell said that current consensus is that "it is appropriate to be considered as an informal gathering."

"I do not believe we will take steps in the near term to institutionalize" the group, he added.

Campbell termed AUKUS, under which the United States and United Kingdom have agreed to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines, as a response to China's military build-up, which he termed one of the largest in modern times.