The United States and Australia see India playing a key role in defence cooperation and post-COVID-19 recovery efforts in the Indo-Pacific, the Hindustan Times reported.
The US and Australia, want to strengthen partnerships in the region with India to ensure Indo-Pacific remains secure, inclusive and rules-based.
Talks between US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper and their Australian counterparts Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds in Washington on Tuesday (July 28), covered the future security of Indo-Pacific region and several references to India’s role was made during this high-powered meeting.
During the conference, China also figured and its “recent coercive and destabilising actions across the Indo-Pacific,” between US and Australia was mentioned.
Both countries agree that the COVID19 pandemic has “created incentives for some actors to pursue strategic gains in ways that undermine the rules-based international order and regional stability”.
This discussion must have been keenly analysed by China as India is all set to include Australia in the “Malabar Naval Exercise” that it conducts with the US and Japan.
The Joint Statement released by the US-Australia said the Indo-Pacific remains a top priority and that two countries are “working side-by-side, including with ASEAN, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Five Eyes partners, to strengthen our networked structure of alliances and partnerships to maintain a region that is secure, prosperous, inclusive, and rules-based”.
When asked on the importance of regional coordination, the two countries said they are committed to “trilateral dialogues with Japan and Quad consultations with Japan and India”, and were looking forward to further ministerial meetings of these forums.
China has been dead set against the Quadrilateral security dialogue or Quad, which includes India, Australia, Japan and the US because it feels this group is a counterbalance to stop China’s ambitions.
In September 2019, the Quad was upgraded to the ministerial level, much to China’s dismay. However, India has always maintained that the Quad is not aimed at any country.
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic that has crippled the economies of many countries and pushing nations towards a long recession, the US and Australia see India as a natural partner.
One of the outcomes of this meeting was the need for the US and Australia bilateral defence cooperation. This includes joint naval activity by their warships in the South China Sea, and said they are committed to “pursue increased and regularised maritime cooperation in the region, as well as the Indian Ocean, bilaterally and in concert with other likeminded and regional partners”.
Due to its aggressive posturing, China is quickly finding itself isolated as large trading partners like Australia are trying to stem the growing influence of China from the Pacific to the India Ocean and also curtail its interference in domestic politics and issues such as cybersecurity.
India which has a large navy has the capability to play a vital role in securing the Indian Ocean to help maintain rules-based international order which is quickly being realised by the US and Australia.