China has said that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s assertion to shore up ties with India and his criticism of Beijing smacked of “bias”, as state-run media termed it an attempt by Washington to lure New Delhi to counter-balance Beijing.

Ahead of his first visit to India, Mr. Tillerson said the U.S. “will not shrink from China’s challenges to the rules-based order and where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and disadvantages the U.S. 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 U.S. is that partner,” Mr. Tillerson had said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

Playing down his criticism of China and remarks to deepen ties with India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters on Thursday that “many media are very interested in the development of relations between India and the U.S.” “We are happy to see the development of relations between these countries as long as they are conducive to the peaceful development of the region,” he said.

On Mr. Tillerson’s remarks branding China a “predatory rule breaker,” especially in the South China Sea, and leaving countries in debt, Mr. Lu said the U.S. should take more objective look at China’s development.