US, India defense officials meet to talk regional security

Editor’s note: Vivek Raghuvanshi, a journalist and freelancer to Defense News for more than three decades, was jailed in mid-May by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation on charges of espionage. The Indian government has released minimal information on his arrest. Sightline Media Group, which owns Defense News, has not seen any evidence to substantiate these charges and repudiates attacks on press freedom.

NEW DELHI — India and the U.S. underlined their commitment to boosting security ties Friday as their top diplomats and defense chiefs met to discuss regional security, China, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza .

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with their Indian counterparts in New Delhi as part of an Asian trip aimed at showing unity over Russia’s war in Ukraine and preventing differences on the Israel-Hamas war from deepening.

Blinken said the U.S. and India were continuing to “deepen our collaboration on everything from emerging technologies to defense to people-to-people ties” and align diplomacy for “an Indo-Pacific region that’s free, that’s open, that’s prosperous, that’s resilient.”

He said the two sides discussed the crisis in the Middle East and “we appreciate the fact that from day one India has strongly condemned the attacks of Oct. 7. And as our joint statement makes clear, India and the United States stand with Israel against terrorists.”

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the situation in the Middle East was a big concern. While India has condemned the Hamas attack on Israel, it balances its position by calling for talks on “a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side-by-side at peace with Israel.”

Blinken met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “reaffirmed their shared vision for close partnership in the Indo-Pacific,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

“They emphasized working together to address ongoing crises such as Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East,” Miller said.

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India’s top bureaucrat in the foreign ministry, said India’s tense ties with China also were discussed at the official-level talks, but declined to give details.

India’s relationship with China has deteriorated since 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops clashed along their disputed border in the Himalayan Ladakh region, leaving 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. A standoff involving thousands of soldiers in the eastern Ladakh region continues, despite several rounds of military and diplomatic talks.

Blinken said he also discussed with the Indian side a diplomatic dispute that erupted when Canada alleged that India was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.

Blinken said that the U.S. wants the two sides to resolve their differences in a cooperative way and urged India to “work with Canada on its investigation.”

The dispute started when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in suburban Vancouver in western Canada. India rejected the accusation.

India and the U.S. have held so-called two-plus-two talks between India’s external affairs and defense ministers and the U.S. secretaries of state and defense since 2018 to discuss issues of concern and strengthen bilateral ties.

Austin and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, discussed a roadmap for defense industrial cooperation that will fast-track technology cooperation and co-production of defense systems, India’s defense ministry said.

“We’re integrating our industrial bases, strengthening our inter-operability, and sharing cutting-edge technology,” Austin said in his opening remarks.

Washington expects India to be a leading security provider in the Indo-Pacific region.

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in June, the two sides adopted a policy guide for defense industries to enable them to produce advanced defense systems together and collaborate on research and testing of prototypes.

The two sides reached an agreement that will allow U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India and the sale of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones.

A joint statement at the conclusion of Blinken and Austin’s visit to New Delhi on Friday said the two sides reaffirmed their roadmap for defense industrial cooperation to strengthen India’s capabilities, enhance its defense production, facilitate technology-sharing, and promote supply chain resilience.

Associated Press writer Matt Lee contributed to his story.

编者按：维韦克·拉古万什（Vivek Raghuvanshi）是一位为《防务新闻》（Defense News）撰稿三十余年的记者和自由撰稿人，于五月中旬被印度中央调查局以间谍罪名逮捕入狱。印度政府对其逮捕事件的披露信息甚少。《防务新闻》的母公司Sightline Media Group表示，他们尚未发现任何证据支持这些指控，并强烈谴责对新闻自由的攻击。

新德里——周五，印度和美国高级外交官和国防部长举行会晤，讨论地区安全、中国以及乌克兰和加沙战争，双方强调了加强安全关系的承诺。

美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯和美国国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀在新德里会见了印度对口官员，此次亚洲之行的目的是为了在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的战争问题上展现团结，并防止在以色列与哈马斯战争问题上的分歧加深。

布林肯表示，美国和印度将继续“深化在从新兴技术到国防再到民间关系等各个领域的合作”，并调整外交策略，以期建立一个“自由、开放、繁荣、有韧性的印太地区”。

他说，双方讨论了中东危机，“我们赞赏印度从一开始就强烈谴责10月7日的袭击事件。正如我们的联合声明所明确指出的，印度和美国与以色列站在一起，共同打击恐怖分子。”

印度外交部长苏杰生表示，中东局势令人深感担忧。印度谴责哈马斯对以色列的袭击，但同时呼吁就“建立一个主权、独立、可行的巴勒斯坦国，使其生活在安全且公认的边界内，与以色列和平共处”展开对话。

美国国务院发言人马修·米勒表示，布林肯会见了印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪，并“重申了他们在印太地区建立紧密伙伴关系的共同愿景”。

米勒说：“他们强调要共同努力应对持续不断的危机，例如俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争和中东冲突。”

印度外交部最高官员维奈·莫汉·夸特拉表示，印中紧张关系也在官方会谈中进行了讨论，但他拒绝透露详情。

自2020年印中军队在喜马拉雅山脉拉达克地区争议边界发生冲突以来，印中关系持续恶化，冲突造成20名印度士兵和4名中国士兵死亡。尽管双方已举行多轮军事和外交会谈，但涉及数千名士兵的拉达克东部地区对峙仍在继续。

布林肯表示，他还与印度方面讨论了一起外交争端，该争端源于加拿大指控印度参与了在加拿大暗杀一名锡克教分离主义分子。

布林肯表示，美国希望双方以合作的方式解决分歧，并敦促印度“与加拿大合作进行调查”。

这场争端始于加拿大总理贾斯汀·特鲁多表示，有“可信的指控”表明印度参与了加拿大公民哈迪普·辛格·尼贾尔在加拿大西部温哥华郊区被杀一案。印度否认了这一指控。

自 2018 年以来，印度和美国举行了所谓的“2+2”会谈，印度外交部长和国防部长与美国国务卿和国防部长进行会谈，讨论共同关心的问题，加强双边关系。

印度国防部表示，奥斯汀与印度国防部长拉杰纳特·辛格讨论了国防工业合作路线图，该路线图将加快国防系统的技术合作和联合生产。

奥斯汀在开幕致辞中表示：“我们正在整合我们的产业基地，加强互操作性，并共享尖端技术。”

华盛顿期望印度成为印太地区领先的安全保障提供者。

今年6月，印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪访问美国期间，双方通过了一项国防工业政策指导方针，使双方能够共同生产先进的国防系统，并在原型研发和测试方面开展合作。

双方达成协议，允许总部位于美国的通用电气公司与总部位于印度的印度斯坦航空有限公司合作，在印度生产印度飞机的喷气发动机，并出售美国制造的武装型MQ-9B“海上卫士”无人机。

布林肯和奥斯汀周五结束对新德里的访问后发表的联合声明称，双方重申了国防工业合作路线图，以加强印度的能力，提高其国防生产能力，促进技术共享，并提高供应链的韧性。

美联社记者马特·李也为他的报道做出了贡献。