U.S. Vice President Joe Biden took a laundry list of issues to India Monday, including economic issues, nuclear energy, China, Pakistan and the Taliban, UPI reported. Ahead of his arrival, Biden told The Times of India bilateral relations between India and the United States have grown stronger since his last visit as a senator. "The message that I'll carry to India -- both in my official meetings with the president, vice president and prime minister, and in my conversations with Indian society -- is that our two countries must continue to aspire to the promise of prosperity and security, and that delivering on that promise is something we can do together, through our bilateral cooperation," Biden said. He said he was looking forward to discussing these issues in a broader context of the Asia-Pacific and that he will share "some ideas" about strengthening the two countries' cooperation in the region. India, China and the United States are important players in the Asia-Pacific region, Biden said, with the responsibility of striving for peace, cooperation and prosperity. "Our countries should work together to advance our common economic and security interests," Biden told The Times. "China shares borders and interests with South and Central Asia -- it has a real stake in regional cooperation." He said if the Taliban are to have any role in Afghanistan's political future, they must break ties with al-Qaida, stop supporting violence and accept the country's Constitution "as part of the outcomes of any negotiated peace settlement." Biden said the United States was encouraged by Pakistan's recent elections, marking the first time a civilian government has completed its term and transferred power democratically to another civilian government.
