Speaking in New Delhi, India, a senior U.S. diplomat called China “the elephant in the room. He also said that the United States will help India achieve its interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
The “elephant in the room” is an English idiom for an important issue that no one wants to talk about.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is on a three-day visit to India. He attended the opening of the U.S.-India Forum in New Delhi on Monday. At the meeting, Biegun said the United States is looking for some way to strengthen India without changing what he called India’s “strong and proud tradition of strategic autonomy.
India has a strong and proud tradition of strategic autonomy, and we respect that,” Beegan said. We don’t seek to change that tradition in India.” “What we are seeking to do instead is to find some way to strengthen India and its ability to defend its sovereignty and its democracy, while advancing India’s interests in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Before Biegun’s visit to India, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia in Tokyo. The four countries have been called the “Indo-Pacific Four” against China. Critics say China is flaunting its force in the South China Sea, East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and India’s northern border. Beijing’s initial response to the outbreak of the new coronavirus and its human rights abuses have also been widely criticized internationally.
Pompeo said that China’s increasing assertiveness in the region makes it more important than ever for the four countries to work together to protect their allies and people from China’s “exploitation, corruption, and coercion.
Shortly before Begin’s visit to India, tensions along the border erupted as China and India clashed over a disputed section of the border in the Ladakh region.
China firmly rejects any criticism of its human rights record and its handling of the epidemic. It also stated that concerns about Chinese military power were unfounded. China calls the United States the biggest obstacle to peace in the South China Sea and elsewhere.
According to Biegun, Washington has increased its arms sales to India and increased the scope of intelligence sharing between the two countries.
In addition, Beegan said, the U.S. could do more, such as “strengthening India’s self-defense capabilities and promoting interoperability between our two militaries.
Beegan said, “And of course, as we move in that direction, there’s an elephant in the room, and that’s China.”
Beegan emphasized that the basis of the cooperative relationship between the four countries is “shared interests, not binding responsibilities.
He added that “(this cooperation) is not an exclusive organization,” and that “any country that seeks a free and open Indo-Pacific, any country that is willing to take action to make sure that happens, should be welcome to join us.”
Beegan’s visit to India is part of a larger mission to prepare for the upcoming “2+2” dialogue. The “2+2” dialogue is a meeting between the defense and foreign ministers of the United States and India. This dialogue mechanism was established in January 2017, shortly after Trump took office, and has been held twice before. The next dialogue is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on October 26-27.
According to Indian business newspaper Mint, one of the main topics of the dialogue will be the signing of the U.S.-India “Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). Under this agreement, the United States will share satellite data and other sensor data with India to improve the targeting and navigation capabilities of Indian forces.
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