New Delhi: India and the US signed Tuesday the landmark defence pact, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). The defence pact will allow sharing of high-end military technology, geospatial maps and classified satellite data between the militaries of India and the US. The two countries held a high-level dialogue Tuesday. They vowed to ramp up their security ties and boost strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. This defence pact was signed amidst China’s growing economic and military clout in the region.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the third edition of the 2+2 talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper. Both sides were assisted by their top military and security officials.
The high-level interaction assumes significance. It comes at a time when China is attempting to expand its economic and military clout in the Indo-Pacific region. China is also engaged in a tense standoff with India in eastern Ladakh.
During the talks, the US side also assured India that America stands with it as they confront threats to their sovereignty and liberty.
Addressing a joint media event along with Jaishankar, Pompeo and Esper, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the two sides held comprehensive discussion on range of key issues, and dubbed the inking of BECA with the US is a ‘significant move’. “Our military-to-military cooperation with the US is moving forward very well,” Rajnath said. He added that projects for joint development of defence equipment have been identified. “We reaffirmed our commitment to peace and security in Indo-Pacific region,” Singh said.
Pompeo, in his remarks, said, during the visit they visited the War Memorial to honour the soldiers that sacrificrd their lives for the world’s largest democracy, including the 20 that were killed by China’s PLA forces in the Galwan Valley in June. “The US will stand with people of India as they confront threats to their sovreignty and to their liberty,” Pompeo asserted.
Slamming the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Pompeo said the US leaders and citizens see with increasing clarity that the ‘CCP is no friend to democracy, the rule of law and transparency’. The US and India are taking steps to strengthen cooperation against all manners of threats and not just those posed by the CCP, Pompeo added.
Jaishankar said the Indo-US national security convergences have grown and the Indo-Pacific was a focus of the discussion. US Defence secretary Esper noted that the bilateral defence cooperation is continuing to grow.