India and the US decided today to further bolster their bilateral ties in order to assist the development of an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, connected, and safe.
The India-US 2+2 Inter-Sessional Meeting brought together senior officials from the ministries of External Affairs and Defense, as well as the US departments of Defense and State.
Arindam Bagchi, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated that the meeting “reviewed the findings of April 2022 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with the objective of further strengthening the India-US strategic alliance.”
The meeting’s goal was to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between the US and India.
In light of China’s expanding military manoeuvres in the resource-rich area, India, the US, and a number of other world powers have been discussing the necessity to guarantee a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam also have territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea, although China claims almost all of it. In the South China Sea, Beijing has erected military outposts and artificial islands.
The case for closer cooperation between India and the US has become even more compelling, according to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who spoke on Tuesday at the India Ideas Summit hosted by the US-India Business Council. He noted that the current globalisation model is in danger due to long-standing trends, the pandemic, conflicts, or climatic events.
He said that India and the US are jointly influencing regional and global trends, particularly through partnerships like the Quad and I2U2 (India, Israel, the UAE, and the US).
“A more energising and inventive India awaits new collaboration opportunities in infrastructure, asset monetisation, digital economy, education, health, start-ups, drones, geospatial, blue economy, and green hydrogen,” the minister added.
According to Mr. Jaishankar, India and the US have linkages that span every aspect of human endeavour, including society, economics, and defence and security.
“Today’s India is an “atmanirbhar” (self-reliant). An India that aims to increase its capacity, solidify its own supply chains, inspire its inventors, and support its talent An India that is creating more inventions, working more efficiently, and cooperating more, “added he.
The inherent complementarity between India and the US will emerge for the benefit of our peoples, Mr. Jaishankar said, adding that he is convinced this would happen as familiarity and interactions between the two countries develop.
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