The irony is that, while America’s pursuit of a stronger defense relationship with India is aimed largely at offsetting an increasingly assertive China, US President Barack Obama has charted a neutral course in Sino-Indian disputes. For example, the US has declined to hold joint military exercises in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China has claimed as “South Tibet” since 2006.
讽刺之处在于，尽管美国之所以寻求与印度的更强的防务关系，其目的很大程度上是遏制日益专横的中国，但美国总统奥巴马却在中印争端中采取了中立立场。比如，美国拒绝在印度东北部的阿鲁纳恰尔邦（中国自2006年以来称之为“藏南”）采取联合军事行动。