New Delhi, June 5
India and the US have a unique role in preserving the rules-based global order, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday while citing “bullying and coercion” by China and Russian aggression against Ukraine.
After holding wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh here, Austin said that the US government is putting its “full weight” behind supporting India’s defence modernisation.
Describing the US-India relationship as one of the most “consequential” ones, Austin said the partnership is a “cornerstone” for a free and open Indo-Pacific and that the growing military cooperation between the two “great powers” can be a force for global good.
The US is “absolutely committed” to “our historic investment” in ensuing technology cooperation with India, the US defence secretary said at a media briefing.
In their talks, Austin and Singh concluded an ambitious roadmap for defence industrial cooperation to fast-track technology tie-ups and co-production of military platforms such as air combat and land systems.
“I can tell you that the US government is putting our full weight behind supporting India’s defence modernisation. I look forward to continuing to work with Minister Singh going forward,” Austin said.
In his comments to the media, the US defence secretary spoke about various dimensions of the growing defence and strategic cooperation between India and the US and its significance in the current geo-political scenario.
“This all matters because we all face a rapidly changing world. We see bullying and coercion from the People’s Republic of China and Russian aggression against Ukraine that seeks to redraw borders by force and threatens national sovereignty, as well as transnational threats such as terrorism and climate change,” he said.
His remarks come amid rising tension in the Taiwan Strait where a Chinese naval ship cut sharply across the path of an American destroyer on Saturday, forcing the US vessel to slow to avoid a collision.
The US defence secretary also rejected China’s allegations that the US was trying to establish an Asian NATO in the Indo-Pacific.
“We are absolutely not trying to establish a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) in the Indo-Pacific. We continue to work with like-minded countries to ensure that the region remains free and open,” he said.
China has been very critical about the Quad comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia and calls the coalition an Asian NATO.
Austin said the US-India global strategic partnership has continued to rapidly grow.
