US strategy for Indo-Pacific region must promote economic development, not just defence: Senate panelWashington’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific region is heavily focused on defence and lacks a robust economic agenda promoting regional development, an influential US Senate panel heard on Wednesday.The US should present “alternatives to what our competitors are offering”, said Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, referring to partnerships China has forged with countries in the region.A commitment to promoting better infrastructure and investment in the Indo-Pacific region was necessary to remind US partners that “America’s leadership in the world has never been...