Japan keen on reviving Indo-Pacific dialogue as tensions rise
livemint.comNEW DELHI : Japan is looking to revive a dialogue with India focused on Indo-Pacific issues by the end of this year, according to persons aware of the matter. This dialogue, which was last held some years ago, is expected to take in topics ranging from economic security and China’s military expansionism to Indo-Japanese cooperation with third countries in the region. The move to revive this dialogue comes amid escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific in recent months.
In August, China published a new “standard map" that claimed parts of Indian territory and even larger swathes of the South China Sea. India and several Southeast Asian nations objected to the map. Military tensions in the region have spiked, particularly after Chinese forces have adopted a more aggressive posture toward Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
According to the persons cited above, the dialogue is also expected to focus on territorial disputes that India and Japan have with China and possible coordination on this matter. While India has been locked in a border dispute with China, Japan too has clashed with China over the status of the Senkaku islands, which the former holds and administers. China claims these islands as well.
India and Japan regularly discuss regional security issues, particularly through their annual 2+2 foreign and defence ministers’ meetings. During the last edition of these talks in 2022, the two countries agreed to establish a joint service staff talks between India’s Integrated Defence Staff and Japan’s Joint Staff. They also agreed to expand bilateral defence exercises and cooperation in the field of defence equipment.
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