India-US forge deeper strategic alliance amid escalating security challenges posed by China
livemint.comIndia and the United States pledged to strengthen their strategic alliance by enhancing defence and security collaborations and expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in response to China's growing military assertiveness on Friday. Additionally, they unveiled intentions to collaborate on the joint production of an armoured infantry vehicle.
Also Read: ‘India-China relationship has never been easy’ As reported by PTI, during the fifth annual '2+2' ministerial dialogue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and their American counterparts Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken discussed strategies to bolster India's aspiration of becoming a key global center for defence manufacturing. The dialogue also focused on collaborative efforts to advance cutting-edge technology to meet essential security requirements.
The discussions prominently featured the situation in the Middle East concerning the Hamas-Israel conflict, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, China's assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, and the broader challenges to regional security, PTI reported. Also Read: China’s loss as India’s gain? During a media briefing, Austin highlighted that both parties engaged in discussions regarding the escalating security challenges presented by China.
He emphasized that India and the United States share a mutual objective of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific. “Today, we agreed to move forward with the co-production of armoured infantry vehicles.
We also discussed steps that we can take to strengthen our supply chain security and integrate the provision of goods and services from US and Indian firms," he said. The US Defense Secretary mentioned ongoing initiatives to expedite the delivery
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