The Joe Biden administration will provide India access to better capabilities and technologies to enforce the rule of international law in Indo-Pacific, people aware of the development said after US defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has described the Indo-US strategic partnership “a force for global good”.
The top US defence official landed in New Delhi on Friday evening as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to forge an alliance of countries seeking to push back against China’s assertiveness in the region.
He met Prime Minister Modi and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval soon after. Austin is scheduled to meet defence minister Rajnath Singh later on Saturday.
“Great meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval last night,” Austin tweeted on Saturday morning. “The breadth of collaboration between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defence partnership as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.”
It is understood that the two-hour-long meeting between Secretary Austin and NSA Doval was very positive with both leaders exchanging notes on the security environment in Asia and beyond.
