The United States (US) values its relationship with Pakistan, the US State Department reaffirmed on Wednesday, while emphasising that there is no requirement, as far as Washington is concerned, for other countries to choose between the US and China.

“We’ve made the point all along that it is not a requirement for any country around the world to choose between the US and China,” State Department’s Spokesman Ned Price told reporters when asked if Pakistan and China have become closer because “they feel abandoned” by the US.

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“It is our intention to provide choices to countries when it comes to what the relationship with the US looks like,” he said. “And we think a partnership with the US conveys a series of advantages that countries typically would not find when it comes to the sorts of partnerships that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has sought to have around the world,” the department’s spokesman added.

“Pakistan is a strategic partner of the US. We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it’s a relationship that we value across a number of fronts,” Price went on to say.

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“I’ll leave it to the Pakistanis and PRC to speak about their relationship. I certainly won’t endorse those (Gandhi’s) remarks,” the spokesman replied.