Chinese aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, South China Sea and along the borders with India figured prominently during the meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Defence Secretary Llyod Austin on the margins of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM Plus) meeting at Siem Reap in Cambodia. Diplomatic sources told The Daily Guardian that the two defence ministers elaborately discussed different activities of the Chinese PLA and its navy in the various regions and geographies. “The two ministers reaffirmed the commitment to step up strategic and defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington, keeping in view the growing aggressive activities of Beijing,” sources said. In its National Defense Strategy, which was released last month, the US has identified China as its most consequential strategic competitor for the coming decades, whose “coercive tactics” are the most comprehensive and a serious challenge to U.S. national security. “This point in the US national defence strategy is quite important, which guides the Biden administration’s policy towards China,” sources said, adding, “Defence Secretary Austin’s views were in fact reaffirmation of what the national defence strategy highlights in terms of China factor.” According to sources, the Indian defence minister shared his perspective on Chinese activities on borders with India and in the other regions during talks with the US counterpart. Significantly, the talks between the two ministers came at a time when the US Defence Secretary had made it clear that regional security is especially important right now due to China’s “increasing bellicosity” and Beijing intensifying its efforts to challenge the rules based international order. During his address at the ASEAN defence ministers’ conclave, Rajnath had also reaffirmed India’s call for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s growing assertiveness on maritime issues. Signalling the Biden administration’s priority to address the issue of Beijing’s aggression, Austin, in his meeting with the Indonesian Defence Minister, made a pitch for stronger defence ties amid growing Chinese naval activity in the Indo-Pacific region. Austin also met with Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe, during which he stressed the need for every single nation to respect the international order in what was a clear signal for Beijing only, sources said. It was after meeting the Chinese defence minister that Austin held talks with Rajnath Singh. The US Defence Secretary had last spoken to Singh over the phone on September 26 – the day he received External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the Pentagon – and mentioned that the military cooperation between the two nations is at an all-time high. These conversations, he said then, reinforce a growing depth, breadth and ambition of partnership between the two nations which is moving from strength to strength. Both countries, as Austin had said in September, are also taking significant steps to deepen defence cooperation from stronger information sharing and defence industrial ties to cooperation in emerging defence domains, including through the launch of a new dialogue later this year. In Cambodia, Rajnath Singh looked forward to building a roadmap towards greater defence industrial collaboration between India and US. “He highlighted India’s growing expertise in aircraft maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and ship-building, repairs and refits and suggested specific areas where US defence companies can look for technology cooperation and manufacturing opportunities with Indian partners in India,” said a statement from the Defence Ministry. “The two leaders expressed their commitment towards an inclusive and rules-based Indo Pacific with freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded trade. They further discussed initiatives that can be taken to strengthen maritime cooperation between the two countries including in maritime domain awareness. Both leaders also shared their perspectives on the regional security situation,” the statement added.
