The U.S.-India Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations, the so-called "Two-plus-Two," were held in New Delhi, the capital of India, and the two leaders agreed to promote defense cooperation with China's increasing maritime expansion in the Indo-Pacific.
The Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations between the United States and India were held in New Delhi, the capital of India, on the 10th, and at the beginning of the meeting, Indian Defense Minister Singh emphasized that "defense cooperation is one of the most important pillars of the bilateral relationship."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin also stated, "Defense cooperation between the two countries has made significant progress over the past year," and expressed his intention to promote the sharing of advanced technologies.
The meeting was also attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar.
In June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States and held a summit meeting with President Biden, where they agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, including joint production of engines for fighter jets, and to promote cooperation in the field of advanced technology.
In this meeting, the two leaders agreed to promote cooperation in the field of defense, bearing in mind China's increasing maritime expansion in the Indo-Pacific, and to cooperate in the Quad, a four-nation framework of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India.
As the military invasion of Ukraine drags on, India wants to reduce its dependence on Russia, which has imported a large number of weapons, and is strengthening cooperation with the United States in the defense field and promoting domestic production of weapons through technology transfer and other means.