Rajnath Singh: India and the US agree on strategic concerns and would oppose China's aggressiveness

 Rajnath Singh: India and the US agree on strategic concerns and would oppose China's aggressiveness

According to the ministry, the two ministers discussed strategies for advancing defense technology cooperation via collaborative research in important fields.

In addition to Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was part of the US delegation during the "2+2" conversation.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that the India-US strategic alliance is marked by mutual trust and that both countries are increasingly in accord on important topics, including as resolving regional security problems, fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific, and fighting China's aggressiveness.

The statements were made by Singh at a private meeting with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, which happened just after the fifth round of the India-US "2+2" ministerial discussion ended. The remarks made by the defense minister coincided with worries about the growing incursions of Chinese military vessels into the Indian Ocean area, as well as the over-three-year border dispute between China and India in eastern Ladakh. In his opening remarks during the bilateral discussions, Singh said, "The India-US defence relationship has developed into a strategic partnership that is characterized by mutual trust, shared values, as well as a growing recognition of shared priorities in maintaining regional and global security." "We progressively find ourselves in agreement on strategic issues, especially countering China’s aggression, promoting an open and democratic Indo-Pacific, and confronting regional security challenges," he said.

We both have an interest in Indo-Pacific maritime security. Our teams are working on significant results because we understand how important it is to protect important maritime passages and foster stability," the minister of defense said. He stated that by pursuing greater defense, industrial engagement, reducing technological limitations, strengthening connections in the marine sector, and striving to create robust supply chains in all areas, India and the US are forging new paths of cooperation. Austin said during a post-talks media conference that both parties discussed the growing security threats presented by China. "Going future, we will collaborate on other projects. We all have the same objective, which is that the Indo-Pacific region should continue to be unrestricted and open, allowing us to travel over international skies and oceans," he said.

Austin said, however, that the US-Indian relationship is not just predicated on China or the difficulties it poses. Once again, it is predicated on common ideals. We have discussed a variety of topics, such as scientific collaboration, space cooperation, and military cooperation, among others," he said. The defence ministry said in a statement that Austin and Singh had a thorough discussion on a variety of defense and strategic matters. "There was particular attention on enhancing defence industrial cooperation in order to bring the defence industries from both sides together to constructively co-develop and co-produce defence systems," stated the statement.

According to the ministry, the two ministers discussed strategies for advancing defense technology cooperation via collaborative research in important fields. "They reviewed the progress of the India-US the Defense Department Industrial Ecosystem, INDUS-X, which was launched in the beginning of June this year and aims at growing the strategic technology partnership alongside defence industrial cooperation between the governments, industries, and academic institutions of India and the US," said the statement.

In addition to Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was part of the US delegation during the "2+2" conversation. Singh and S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs, led the Indian delegation.