Austin meets Modi from India as US-China summit begins with difficulty

U.S. and India share a common interest in supporting freedom of navigation and “ free, fair and reciprocal trade, ” as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes in the Indo-Pacific, senior official said defense speaking in the background. . . To discuss sensitive bilateral discussions.

The person said, “To the extent that China or anyone else wants to undermine those principles or question those principles, it’s part of how we build these relationships and build these networks to balance them or thwart them. “

Austin’s arrival in New Delhi marks the third stop on his first overseas trip to head the Pentagon and comes after visits to Japan and South Korea to meet with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and their counterparts Japanese and Korean. A senior defense official said Austin would meet with India’s national security adviser after his talks with Modi. Austin will meet with the Secretaries of Defense and State on Saturday.

For years, the United States has sought to strengthen its partnership with India through increased military cooperation, especially with the Indian Navy, and arms sales. However, one obstacle could be India’s purchase of the advanced Russian S-400 missile system. The United States has imposed sanctions on NATO ally Turkey for purchasing the S-400 system under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, but has yet to sanction India for the same takeover.

The eventual operation of the S-400 system in India will be a problem in the United States; The system is designed to detect and attack advanced American fighters such as the F-35.

The senior defense official declined to say whether the US is considering sanctions against the S-400, but said the system has yet to be delivered to India, an event that could lead to sanctions. .

“The purchase of American equipment is not a precondition for strengthening cooperation,” said the senior defense official. “Our advanced collaboration depends on the convergence of strategic interests,” adding that purchasing equipment that can work together “is certainly a way of working together. to activate this partnership. “

Another senior defense official declined to say whether Austin would speak to Indian officials about Modi’s harsh treatment of the Indian Muslim population, but said, “We regularly raise human rights issues.”

In the Indo-Pacific region, the aim is to build the existing bilateral relations between the different countries in a “set of overlapping networks” which can share information and better cooperate in military operations, a senior official said. defense.

“It would look very different” from NATO, the person said. “It would look very unique; it would be something that would fit in with how the Indo-Pacific evolved.