India, US affirm commitment on Indo-Pacific to tackle China

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, November 11

India and the US, engaged over a 2+2 meeting in New Delhi yesterday, gave assurances on working together to “tackle” China and ensuring cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. After the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out the initiatives that the two sides need to pursue on defence cooperation and the Indo-Pacific.

Beijing’s aggression

We (allies India & US) increasingly find ourselves in agreement on strategic issues, including countering China’s aggression. — Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister

Free movement

• US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said, “We should be able to sail the international seas and fly international airspace wherever authorised by law”
• This was in reference to China’s hegemony seeking self-assumed control of the South China Sea

At the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met their US counterparts Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken, respectively.

India was keen to assess how committed the US was about the Indo-Pacific after its involvement in helping Ukraine fight Russia and in brokering peace between Israel and Hamas.

Defence Minister Rajnath set the ball rolling at the one-on-one meeting with his American counterpart saying “we (India-US) increasingly find ourselves in agreement on strategic issues, including countering China’s aggression”.

“We share a focus on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, criticality of safeguarding vital sea lanes and our teams are working on substantive outcomes,” Rajnath Singh said and mentioned that “new domains” were expanding the scope of collaboration.

Lloyd responded saying “(we are) committed to collaborating closely with India in support of our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took up the matter with Modi when he and Lloyd met him. The US State Department put out a small note on the meeting quoting Blinken saying “reaffirmed the United States’ and India’s shared vision for close partnership in the Indo-Pacific and on issues of global importance”. The US Department of Defense also put out a note saying “Secretary (Lloyd) welcomed Prime Minister’s perspective about the steps India and the United States should pursue together to cement the gains of the Major Defence Partnership and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.

An Indo-US joint statement further laid out how the two countries “reaffirmed” the importance of a free, open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. The Quadrilateral or the Quad was seen as a force for global good for the peoples of the Indo-Pacific, the statement added. Australia and Japan are the other two partners in the Quad.

Later, Lloyd, at a media interaction, said, “We should be able to sail the international seas and fly international airspace wherever authorised by law.” This was in reference to China’s hegemony seeking self-assumed control of the entire South China Sea and impeding international mercantile and naval shipping through the sea. The South China Sea connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific.

“We have common values. We have common goals. We are working together and increasing interoperability,” Lloyd added.

Post the 2+2 meeting, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, “We focused on regional developments. We shared common and shared challenges that India and United States face. The Quad and the Indo-Pacific were discussed and the meeting has helped India and the US work together.”

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