Bullying, Coercion By China Says Defense Secretary Austin In India
NEW DELHI (ANI) – Visiting United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on June 5 said that the world is witnessing bullying and coercion from China which was seeking to “redraw borders by force” and threaten the national sovereignty of countries.
Addressing a press conference after meeting with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, he said, “We face a rapidly changing world. We see bullying and coercion from China, Russian aggression against Ukraine that seeks to redraw borders by force and threatens national sovereignty, as well as transnational challenges, such as terrorism and climate change.”
The US Defense Secretary highlighted the importance of joint military exercises between India and the US. “So, democracies must now rally together around not just our common interest, but also our shared values. Preserving and protecting the freedoms that are essential to peace and prosperity will require vigorous leadership from the United States and India. And so, we still have a lot of work to do, but I am confident that the US-India Partnership will help to secure an open and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific and the wider world,” he added.
Austin, who arrived in India a day ago today concluded a roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation with Rajnath Singh. The roadmap for the next few years will identify opportunities between the two countries for the co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing and new systems as well as facilitate increased collaboration between defense start-up ecosystems.
India said Austin and Singh explored ways of building resilient supply chains.
Both sides decided “to identify opportunities for the co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing and new systems and facilitate increased collaboration between defense start-up ecosystems of the two countries”.
They also discussed regional security issues given their shared interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
