The United States welcomed India’s participation in Southeast Asia given China’s “increasingly aggressive behavior.”
New Delhi:
The United States is closely watching the India-China standoff in Ladakh, sharing information with New Delhi and wanting to make sure the situation does not escalate, senior Trump administration officials said on Saturday, ahead of a major Secretary of State visit. from the United States. Mike Pompeo and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper next week.
The United States said it welcomes increased Indian involvement in Southeast Asia, including its military presence in the South China Sea, and has been working with like-minded partners to counter “China’s aggressive behavior” from the Himalayas. to the disputed ocean region.
“We have had an ongoing dialogue with the Indians on further cooperation in Southeast Asia, not just in the South China Sea. And we encourage their participation and that cuts through development investments, that cuts through security cooperation and that also implies presence, and therefore we welcome more Indian involvement in Southeast Asia in all three areas, “said US officials. at an online press conference.
“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 like India. We were pleased to see India’s recent announcement. on Australia joining the Malabar Naval Exercise, ”they said.
India, along with the United States, Japan and Australia, will conduct the Malabar high-level naval exercises next month. Australia is returning to the high-level naval exercise for the first time after 2007, when its participation drew criticism from China.
On the tension in eastern Ladakh that peaked in June this year in a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unknown number of Chinese victims, the United States said: “We, as a government, are covering the situation in the Himalayas in a close and understandable way. And we certainly want to make sure that the situation does not escalate. “
” We are providing support, whether through defense sales, exercises … as well as information exchange. These are all areas where we cooperate with the Indians, not just the tension in the Himalayas, “US officials said.
” The defense relationship with India is at its best in recent times. The progress we have made since India became a major defense partner in 2016 is remarkable, “they added.
On the agenda for next week’s 2 + 2 Defense and Foreign Minister-level talks, the United States said topics to be covered include regional security cooperation, defense information sharing, military-to-military interactions and trade in defending.
“We have made significant progress toward finalizing the latest founding defense enablement agreement: the Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, or BECA,” the United States said.
“This agreement will allow for greater exchange of geospatial information between our armed forces. We are also looking to expand secure communication capabilities between our respective armies, as well as between our foreign defense ministries and that ranks high in what we are trying to achieve. in the information -Share space “, they added.
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