Close India-U.S. ties will not come at the expense of Pakistan or China, the Indian prime minister said on Wednesday at the end of a Washington visit in which he won strong American endorsement of India as a rising power.

But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Pakistan that the budding peace process between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals would falter unless Islamabad curbed attacks on India from Pakistani territory.

"I am convinced that an improvement in our relations with the United States will also improve the chances of improving our relations both with Pakistan and China," Singh told reporters.

"I don't think either Pakistan or China has to worry," he said, adding that New Delhi has worked to resolve friction with Beijing and with Islamabad, including border disputes.

In a warning to Pakistan, however, Singh pointed to what he said were "disturbing" incursions into India by Muslim militants fighting New Delhi's rule in Indian Kashmir, including a suicide bomb attack on Wednesday in Srinagar.

"If acts of terrorism are not under control, that certainly affects my ability to push forward the process of normalizing relations with Pakistan," he said.

Singh will go home having won a significant concession from President Bush, who on Monday unveiled plans to change U.S. law and work with allies to adjust international rules to allow nuclear technology trade with India.

NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

Washington had barred providing atomic technology to India because of New Delhi's status as a nuclear power that has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the main global pact designed to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.

The U.S. policy shift has been challenged by some members of Congress, who have crafted amendments to block any sale of nuclear technology to India as long as it remains outside the NPT framework.

But Singh overall received a warm American welcome, which underscored Washington's recognition of India as a rising power and potential counterweight to China.

"It is incredibly important the United States and India build on their relationship," said House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom Delay on Wednesday, a day after Singh received a lengthy standing ovation for a speech to Congress.

In contrast to Singh's red carpet treatment, China's foreign exchange policies, trade surpluses and the Chinese oil firm CNOOC's offer to buy the American oil producer Unocal have all come under harsh criticism by U.S. lawmakers.

American experts on India say that New Delhi values its growing ties with Beijing and would be extremely wary of entering any kind of U.S. arrangement directed against China.

Asked if India viewed itself as a balancer against China, Singh said: "I believe the world is big enough to accommodate the interests of both China and India."

Source: China Daily/agencies