External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday agreed that the global situation has become more challenging this year, especially due to challenges in the Indo-Pacific, and stressed the need to further strengthen bilateral relations, especially defense ties. The remarks came amid China’s increasingly cowed behavior in the region. Jaishankar is here in the US capital for bilateral consultations with several US government ministers, including his counterpart Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken.
“I share with you that the global situation has become much more challenging this year (due to) various reasons, especially the Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks at the start of the meeting with Austin at the conference. This is the Pentagon. “It is important to ensure the stability, security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. This can best be achieved through cooperation between the two countries, among others,” he said.
Welcoming the Secretary of State to the Pentagon, Austin said that maintaining the security of the region is of particular importance. “In recent months, we have seen the PRC (People’s Republic of China) intensify its efforts to challenge the international rules-based court, from its unprecedented provocations in the Taiwan Strait to its actions in its neighborhood,” he said. China claims almost all of the disputed South China Sea, although Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam claim parts of it.
Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea. “The PRC continues to support Russia during its unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine. We therefore face persistent challenges to peace, security and prosperity in the region and beyond. But they just reaffirm the importance of our partnership,” said Austin.
“I am grateful for your friendship. And together we work towards our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. And I’m looking forward to a great discussion,” he added. Referring to his recent conversation with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Austin said the talks reinforce the growing depth, breadth and ambition of the partnership between the two nations.
“This partnership is constantly changing,” Austin said. “Today, we are positioning the US and Indian militaries to operate and coordinate more closely than ever before.” We are taking significant steps to deepen our defense cooperation from stronger information sharing and defense industry ties to cooperation in emerging defense areas, including the launch of a new dialogue later this year,” Austin said. “All this will help ensure that our armies are ready,” he added.
“The United States and India, along with a dozen other Indo-Pacific partners, are working to expand the prosperity of our region for the Indo-Pacific Economic Forum. And through our deepening cooperation with Japan and Australia, we are addressing issues that matter most to the region, from infrastructure development to maritime security,” Austin said. Jaishankar said he believed defense and security cooperation was the “foundation of our current” relationship.
This was expressed in a closer exchange of policies in coordination with policies on the very important and sensitive challenges of growing defense trade and stronger defense industrial cooperation and military exercises, he said. “But I think the ripple effect of our defense cooperation has a greater benefit to our relationship,” Jaishankar said.
Earlier, Jaishankar was received by Austin at the Pentagon’s riverside entrance and given a cordon of honor by the US military. During the cordon of honor, visitors are greeted on the steps of the Pentagon and greeted with a handshake before entering the building. He was accompanied by Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and other senior Indian officials. Biscuits with flags of India and the United States were served to the Indian delegations.
