Washington DC: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Tuesday and reviewed the progress in the US-India strategic partnership. Both leaders exchanged views on global and regional issues, including approaches to advance a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Jaishankar, who was on a four-day official trip to Washington, also discussed Ukraine conflict with Sullivan during their meeting at the White House. “Good to meet US National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46. Discussed the Ukraine conflict and its repercussions, the Indo-Pacific situation, South Asia, and the Gulf. Exchanged views on addressing the current global economic volatility,” he tweeted.
Sullivan’s office, in a statement, said that he and Jaishankar met “to review progress in the US-India strategic partnership and exchange views on global and regional priorities, including the implications of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its impact on food and energy insecurity around the world”.
The US, India and several other world powers have been discussing the need to ensure a free, open, and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military maneuvering in the region. “Approaches to promoting debt sustainability and advancing a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific were also discussed,” read the statement.
Sullivan tweeted after the meeting, “Met today with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to discuss our shared efforts to deepen the US-India strategic partnership, mitigate the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and advance a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
Besides increasing its influence on independent island nations of the Indo-Pacific, China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Moreover, Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea while increasing its influence among the pacific island nations through Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), security pacts, and debt diplomacy.
