India, Sept. 14 -- No other country has as strong a claim to become the sixth permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) than India, American economist Jeffrey Sachs has said. The Columbia University professor called on China to support New Delhi's bid and said India's population, economy, global influence and diplomatic role strengthened its case.

"Think of all countries in the world, there is no country other than India that has such a strong claim as the sixth permanent member of the UN Security Council," Sachs said in an interview with news agency PTI.

He made the remarks amid the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where the grouping's leaders backed India and Brazil's aspirations to play a "greater role" in the Uni...