Washington: The US is India’s “reliable partner” at the world stage in this period of uncertainty and anguish, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today, sending a strong signal to side with India amidst China’s “provocative actions” in the region.

In a major India-policy speech, the first by the Trump administration, Tillerson, who is scheduled to visit India next week, referred to the rise of China, saying its behaviour and action is “posing a challenge to the rules-based international order”.

“China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules- based order – even as countries like India operate within a framework that protects other nations’ sovereignty,” he told a Washington audience ahead of his maiden visit to India as the top American diplomat.

“China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea directly challenge the international law and norms that the US and India both stand for,” he said.

Underlining that the US seeks constructive relations with China, he said, “But we won’t shrink from China’s challenges to the rules-based order, or where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries, and disadvantages the US and our friends.” “In this period of uncertainty and angst, India needs a reliable partner on the world stage. I want to make clear: with our shared values and vision for global stability, peace and prosperity, the US is that partner,” Tillerson said.

He said the emerging Delhi-Washington strategic partnership stands upon a shared commitment upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation, universal values and free trade.

“Our nations are two bookends of stability – on either side of the globe – standing for greater security and prosperity for our citizens and people around the world,” he said, noting that the challenges and the dangers are substantial.

The scourge of terrorism and the disorder sown by cyber- attacks threaten peace everywhere. “North KoreaÂ’s nuclear- weapons tests and ballistic missiles pose a clear and imminent threat to the security of the US, its Asian allies, and all other nations, he said.

“And the very international order that has benefited India’s rise—and that of many others—is increasingly under strain,” he said.

Tillerson said with India’s youth, its optimism, its powerful democratic example and its increasing stature on the world stage, it makes perfect sense that the US at this time should seek to build on the strong foundation of its years of cooperation with India.

“It is indeed time to double down on a democratic partner that is still rising – and rising responsibly – for the next 100 years,” he said.