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The U.S. plans to launch a $553 million project to build a deep-water shipping container terminal in Sri Lanka as it competes with China in development financing

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says Washington wants to build an economic relationship with Beijing that takes into account national security and human rights and is fair to both sides

Joe Biden's proposed New Delhi trip for the Quad summit and Republic Day celebrations in January, and review the developments in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. During his visit, US secretary of state Antony Blinken will be accompanied by defence secretary Lloyd Austin and they will meet external affairs minister S Jaishankar, defence minister Rajnath Singh, along with other senior Indian officials. «The secretary will travel to New Delhi to participate in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.

By David Lawder

, adual-purpose vessel, not only for maritime survey but also for seabed survey for future operations of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean. For the past decade, China has been exploring the Indian Ocean as part of its strategy to expand its sea legs all over the Indo-Pacific region. It is actually carrying out sea-bed research to ensure that sea lanes are created for future expansion of Chinese Navy and events in the Indian Ocean, much to the detriment of India.

The run-up in yields on the 10-year Treasury bond, seen as a safe-haven in times of economic uncertainty and a benchmark for borrowing costs around the world, has been driven by investors pricing in stronger U.S. growth as well as fiscal slippage. Yields at the long-end rose quickly after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said last week that the U.S.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., joined ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast’ to discuss the GOP’s ongoing struggles to pass a defense spending bill as a government shutdown looms.

By David Lawder

S Jaishankar on Monday said that cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region is in the shared interests of India and Vietnam as he underlined the significance of Asean centrality and highlighted the contribution of the Quad. Jaishankar, who arrived in Vietnam on Sunday on a four-day official visit, made the remarks during his address to the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam on “India in the Indo-Pacific”. “Discussed why cooperating in the Indo-Pacific construct is in our shared interests. Underlined the significance of Asean centrality and highlighted the contribution of the Quad,” the minister posted on ‘X’. “Brought out how India and Vietnam, with their independent mindset, can promote a multipolar and rules-based global order,” he added. Jaishankar met his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son and discussed ways to boost cooperation in areas like trade, energy, defence and maritime security while also sharing perspectives on Indo-Pacific as both India and Vietnam remain wary of China’s territorial encroachments in their respective regions. “Concluded a productive meeting of the 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission today in Hanoi.

PTI, in his address during an event held here, he also said "Chinese belligerence is evident in its continuing propensity to project power outside its region", in turn presenting a "threat to the rules-based international order". General Pande's speech highlighted the recent hosting of the Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs Conclave by the Indian Army, with participation from leaders or delegations of 30 countries bordering the Indo-Pacific region.

Jaishankar has met US Defence Secretary Loyd Austin and held a productive conversation with him on deepening bilateral defence cooperation, including in the co-production of defence articles, and exchanged perspectives on a variety of security issues. He also met Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. After his meeting with Austin at the Pentagon on Friday, Jaishankar posted on X, «Productive conversation on our bilateral defence cooperation.

Indian ocean, a top Naval officer asserted that no country's warships or vessels can sail through the region without being noticed by the Indian Navy. «There is no way any country's warships or vessels can pass through the Indian Ocean without getting detected by the Indian Navy's P-8I anti-submarine and surveillance planes,» said a top Navy Officer. While supervising the operations of the «game changer» P-8I aircraft at Nacala Air Station INS Rajali ( Arakkonam Naval Air Station), Captain Ajayendra Kant Singh told ANI, «There is no possibility that any ship or a submarine would pass through the Indian Ocean region without 312 squadrons not knowing about it.» The Commanding Officer of INS 312 squadron, also known as Albatross, said that at any point in time, there is atleast one P-8I aircraft airborne to carry out surveillance of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to keep an eye on all activities happening there. P-8I is known as the game changer aircraft for the Indian Navy as it has played a key role in carrying out surveillance in multiple areas of Indian interest from the high altitude areas in the Ladakh sector, revealing the level of Chinese build-up along the Sikkim-Bhutan sector during the Doklam crisis and frequent surveillance of the foreign warships and research vessels all along the Indian Ocean Region. The aircraft is also known as the Guardian of the Indian Ocean Region as it has flown more than 44,000 hours in the last 10 years to carry out surveillance over the Indo-Pacific region.

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Wednesday called for embracing the concept of 'unity of effort' as the guiding principle by like-minded nations to confront multifaceted challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region. In an address at the closing session of the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC), he said the solutions to the challenges demand creativity, innovation, flexibility and inclusive collaboration. The Indian Army hosted the two-day conclave to evolve a common strategy to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

India's diplomatic relations, noted Pakistani author Ayesha Siddiqa suggests that the ongoing tensions with Canada over the Khalistani issue could be akin to India's «Israel moment.» Siddiqa's insights, shared in an article published on the UK-based website The Middle East Eye, shed light on the current state of affairs between the two nations. India's response to Canada's accusations of New Delhi's involvement in the murder of a Khalistani extremist on Canadian soil appears to be one of relative composure. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations, although serious, have not rattled India to an excessive degree.

The US Defence Department said they reviewed progress toward operationalizing major bilateral initiatives on information-sharing, defence industrial cooperation, and joint service engagements. The dialogue was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner alongside Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, Additional Secretary VRao of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Joint Secretary Vishwesh Negi of the Indian Ministry of Defence, said Department of Defence spokesperson John Supple. The officials underscored the transformative momentum in US-India relations and reaffirmed that a strong US-India partnership is essential to upholding security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, he added.

Indo-Pacific region has emerged as a focal point. Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande, addressing the Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs’ Conference (IPACC), reaffirmed India’s dedication to upholding peace and stability in this vital area.

sovereignty and territorial integrity underpin the development of the Indo-Pacific region and expressed serious concern on the militarisation of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, and efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore exploitation activities. The Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition is a plurilateral framework comprising India, Australia, Japan and the US formed in 2017 to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. Foreign ministers of the four-nation bloc — External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko — met on the margins of the high-level 78th session of the UN General Assembly for the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting and reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the principles of the UN Charter. «We reaffirm our conviction that international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace and security in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific,» a joint readout of the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting said. The ministers emphasised that disputes should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, without threat or use of force. «We emphasise the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including with respect to maritime claims, and in the South and East China Seas,» they said in the joint statement. The ministers emphasised the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and

Canada's participation at the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) in the capital next week, said a senior Indian Army officer. The deputy chief of the Canadian Army will participate in the conference of top military leaders from 30 nations in the region, Major General Abhinaya Rai, additional director general, strategic planning, said on Wednesday, describing China as an «important partner» of the IPACC initiative. «It (the diplomatic row) doesn't impact us. The Canadian chief is coming here.

Indian Navy has moved a mega proposal to the government for building the second aircraft carrier to be constructed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited. A proposal has been received by the Defence Ministry for building and acquiring the second indigenous aircraft carrier which would be known as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-2, defence officials told ANI. The Defence Ministry would be shortly discussing the proposal moved by the Indian Navy as one of the biggest programmes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Aatmanirbharta (self reliance) programme in defence sector, they said. The programme will create several thousand direct and manifold indirect jobs through the Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kerala when the work on the IAC-2 is approved by the government. The first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was commissioned by Prime Minister Modi in Kochi in September last year where the expertise developed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in building such large size ships was applauded. The Indian Navy has been pressing for three aircraft carriers to maintain at least one carrier on each coast with one in refit. With three aircraft carriers, the Indian Navy would also be keeping pace with all the navies deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, officials said. The Indian Navy is also going to get 26 new Rafale fighter aircraft for the INS Vikrant and also looking to buy the indigenous Twin engine Deck L-based Fighter aircraft which are now expected to be produced in large numbers to be deployed on the three carriers. Admiral R Hari Kumar had recently stated that INS Vikrant, the indigenously built aircraft carrier, will be based in Visakhapatnam.

India and France is putting in place a partnership for security and sovereignty which has a particular meaning, France and India being two major stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region, noted Thierry Mathou, French Ambassador designate to India. The two countries would also work for a partnership for the planet and global issues which is essential to meet the challenges of climate change, according to Mathou who till recently was French envoy to Thailand. He further noted that France is embracing the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — One Earth, One Family, One Future- proposed by India as the outlook of the recent G20 Summit. “This Summit gave an opportunity to our leaders to assess and review the progress in our bilateral relations since the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris last July as the Guest of Honor of the French National Day on the occasion of 25th anniversary of the France-India Strategic Partnership, at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron.” “My role is now to implement with determination and ambition for our partnership the roadmap adopted by our leaders…Let me tell you that this is very concrete and is intended to translate into numerous programs and projects that will have an impact on daily life, such as training new generations of Indian students in France where they are welcomed with open arms; create tens of thousands of new jobs in India where French companies are already very active and fully committed to the Make in India motto; bring together our scientists and engineers to advance research and technology in all fields; improve the lives of Indians, whether through water treatment, access to new sources of clean and affordable energy, or the development of transport;