U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to depart for a week-long visit to South Asia on Sunday (October 25). The United States is currently seeking to counter China’s geopolitical and economic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
Pompeo plans to visit India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia from Oct. 25-30.
Speaking at a State Department press conference on Wednesday, Pompeo said, “I will discuss a wide range of bilateral topics at each stop, while working with these countries to find the best way to ensure that we work together to preserve freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific.”
Pompeo said his meetings “will also include discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart the threat posed by Communist China.
Pompeo and U.S. Defense Secretary Jesper will be in India for the third U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue this year. The State Department said the dialogue is aimed at advancing the U.S.-India strategic partnership and expanding security cooperation.
The U.S. and India also plan to lay the groundwork for the signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Areas (BECA), which is seen as the final strategic agreement aimed at further strengthening the security relationship between the two countries.
Roger Liu, an associate professor of political science at Fleming University in Pune, India, said Wednesday (Oct. 21) that the BECA “can be seen as the final piece of the puzzle in the mutual strategic cooperation that the Indian and U.S. governments have been promoting together for the past five years.”
At the same time, relations between India and China are becoming increasingly strained. In addition to widespread anger in India over the neo-crown virus, which originated in China, there is also growing concern about China’s more aggressive approach to the India-China border dispute. Recent clashes between the two sides have resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers.
Liu Qifeng said, “After the third U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue at the end of October and the signing of the Agreement on Basic Geospatial Exchange and Cooperation, the Indian military will have access to U.S. satellite photos and remote sensing data, i.e., signals intelligence in the event of a conflict,” and “the synergistic capabilities between the U.S. and Indian militaries will therefore be enhanced. further strengthened.”
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