US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper head to chat with their Indian counterparts amid a fervent US election campaign, proving not only the business approach as usual, but also the urgency of the situation. of an ongoing confrontation between India and China that is not being reduced to mutual satisfaction.
“Given China’s increasingly aggressive behavior across the Indo-Pacific from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, it is more important than ever that we work with like-minded partners such as India,” a senior US official said on Friday. US administration that anticipated the talks. speaking of the quadruple grouping of the United States-India-Japan-and Australia, and describing it as “one of the vibrant democracies working together towards a common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
The two officials who briefed reporters on the background in a teleconference declined to go into specific details about intelligence exchanges between the United States and India on the Chinese border incursions, but acknowledged the “information exchange” in order to ensure that “the situation does not get worse”.
Officials confirmed that the two sides have made significant progress toward concluding the latest fundamental defense enablement agreement, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, or BECA, which will allow for greater exchange of geospatial information between the armed forces of the two. countries. The two sides also seek to expand secure communication capabilities between the respective armies, as well as between the foreign and defense ministries as part of the information exchange agreement, they added.
Officials said they have no reason to believe that in the event of a new administration after the next election in the US, policy regarding India would change, stating that “both parties (Republican and Democratic ) are largely aligned in their interest in supporting and deepening the partnership. ”
Discussing the talks and the relationship between the United States and India, the officials said that the frequency, frankness and common goals of these engagements reflect broad strategic convergence between the two countries and that the 2 + 2 ministerial will serve as a highlight. to review our many accomplishments as well as establish the next steps for the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between the United States and India.
Officials also spoke about joint efforts to develop and produce Covid-19 vaccines between the two countries, saying they have taken off at a “remarkable rate” and more than half a dozen US companies and institutions are working on vaccine research with partners. Indians. like the Serum Institute of India. “We know that in the future, working closely with India and its strong pharmaceutical and research sectors will be critical to finding and implementing a cure,” said an official.
The claim came despite abundant evidence of America’s growing insularity under the Trump administration in the fields of science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM), under its so-called “America First” policy.
Addressing the growing restrictions on student and guest worker visas that have disproportionately affected India, one official argued that current visa policy is based on “the interests of the United States in protecting the American homeland and respect for US immigration law and “none of the current restrictions have anything to do with any specific country, and many of them have a lot to do with the Covid pandemic.”
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