Tripartite talks to commence between India, Japan and US

Washington: Senior delegations from the United States and Japan are reaching India for tripartite talks between India, the United States and Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s US visit also has been announced at the same time. This is not a coincidence but these meetings are a clear indication of the planned cooperation between India, Japan and the United States. It is claimed that the three democratic countries have united in view of the increasing Chinese boldness in the region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton of the US Department of State will be visiting India. The Japanese representatives will also be arriving for the tripartite talks between India, Japan and the United States, starting on the 6^th of April. It is clear that the United States has been thinking about the Indian and the Pacific Ocean regions collectively, since the last few months. The Chinese aggression in this sector has increased and this has posed a challenge to the sovereignty of the countries in the region. These Chinese actions for domination have also endangered the US interests in this region.

The United States has taken a serious note of the matter and necessary changes are becoming apparent in the policies of the Trump administration. Powerful US warships have started surveillance in the ‘South China Sea’ and this made China restless. Along with this surveillance, the United States has made preparations to sponsor the Indo-Pacific region as a free and open region; and the US Department of State has said that the United States was ready for its implementation. The US Department of State has made suggestive statements that the United States would ask for cooperation from its allied countries to make the Indo-Pacific sector conflict free and to guard the sovereignty of the regional countries. At the same time, the United States has warned that the sovereignty of the countries in the region was threatened because of the Chinese ‘One Belt One Road’ project.

The US Department of State claimed that in this situation India can play a major role in this marine sector and India has the capability and the will required for it. Whereas, Japan has also made a strong demand that India should assume a greater role in the Pacific sector. Therefore, it is evident that the three democratic countries of India, Japan and the United States have come together to counter the Chinese aggression. Australia has also been claimed to be a part of this alliance.

The tripartite talks to take place in India, are indicative of the future turn of events in the Indo-Pacific region. India and the United States have increased their naval exercises and Japan will also be participating in the annual joint naval exercise named ‘Malabar’ which was limited until now, only for the two countries. This Japanese participation in the naval exercise amounts to a declaration of a front against China, claimed the Chinese media. China had objected to this naval exercise between India, Japan and the United States at an official level too. Nevertheless, India has clarified that these exercises are not against any third country.

However, China does not believe this and instead of adopting the path of negotiations, it has resorted to exert military pressure upon India.