WASHINGTON – The United States and India are all set to finalise a numberof defence agreements during high-level talks this week that aim to drawtheir two militaries closer and counter-balance China’s influence in theregion.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo willhold talks with India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence MinisterNirmala Sitharaman for the so-called two-plus-two discussions.
Already cancelled twice this year, it is the highest level of dialoguebetween the two countries and was agreed upon by US President Donald Trumpand Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. Officials and expertsbelieve that the meeting is not only symbolically important, but will givethe world’s two largest democracies a chance to make concrete progresswhile ironing out significant differences, including over India’s ties withRussia and Iran.
“The 2+2 presents a historic opportunity to develop our growing partnershipand to explore ways of enhancing our security cooperation,” the top USmilitary officer, Marine General Joseph Dunford, told reporters travellingwith him to the talks.
The talks will be held on Thursday. Randall Schriver, the Pentagon’s topAsia official, predicted last week that the discussions would produce “aset of actual concrete outcomes.”
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The United States and India have increased defence ties over the pastdecade, in part because of mutual concerns over an increasingly assertiveChina. India has been alarmed at China’s expanding security and economiclinks in South Asia.
The nuclear-armed Asian giants were locked in a 10-week military stand-offlast year in a remote, high-altitude stretch of a boundary in theHimalayas. Earlier this year, the US military renamed its Pacific Commandthe US Indo-Pacific Command, a move underscoring the growing importance ofIndia to the Pentagon.
