In a major goof-up, new U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta clubbed India and China — describing them as emerging “threats,” but his office quickly retracted the remark.
Mr. Panetta put his foot in the mouth as he departed from the prepared text during a speech at a shipyard in Connecticut, where he said: “We face the threats from rising powers — China, India, others — that we have to always be aware of and try to make sure that we always have sufficient force protection out there in the Pacific to make sure they know we're never going anywhere.”
However, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little quickly clarified Mr. Panetta's remarks, saying the U.S. strongly valued a close relationship with India and saw it as a nation of increasing prominence and power. “He does not view India as a threat,” Mr. Little told PTI .
