thestringshredder
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2012
- Messages
- 1,254
- Reaction score
- 1
- Country
- Location
WASHINGTON: The United States, India, and Japan held their fourth trilateral dialogue here on Wednesday, discussing among other issues, greater security cooperation at a time all three countries are facing what they perceive to be an increasingly belligerent China.
The previously scheduled engagement, not directly linked to the ongoing border and maritime spat India and Japan respectively are having with China, is part of the growing security and economic dialogue between the three countries. It is also in tune with Washington's Asian pivot aimed at shoring up its Asia-Pacific alliances in the face of Beijing's growing assertiveness. Although India is not a formal US ally, it has signed up for the dialogue that goes beyond security cooperation.
A boilerplate statement from the state department said the United States hosted Japan and India for their fourth trilateral dialogue, "exchanging views on a wide range of regional and global issues of mutual interest." This discussion, it said, was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs James Zumwalt.
The Indian delegation was headed by external affairs ministry joint secretaries D B Venkatesh Varma and Vikram Doraiswami and Japanese delegation was headed by deputy vice-foreign minister for foreign policy Kenji Hiramatsu and deputy director-general Kanji Yamanouchi.
Ribbed by journalists to spare them anodyne statements, the state department later expanded the statement to say the "discussions focused on the prospect of greater Indo-Pacific commercial connectivity and regional and maritime security, and cooperation in multilateral fora." All sides welcomed the frank and comprehensive nature of the discussions and agreed the talks help advance shared values and interests, it added.
The group agreed to meet again in the fall in Tokyo to continue their deliberations.
The Obama administration incidentally has noted the ongoing border row between India and China, and expressed hope that the two sides would resolve the issue amicably.
The US-India-Japan trilateral began in 2011 as part of Washington's endeavor to start "mini-laterals" in Asia to circumvent any possible disagreement that a larger multi-lateral could engender, given the dissonance between various middling powers in the region on how to deal with China. The USInJa grew out of separate East Asia specific bilateral that Washington initiated with New Delhi in 2009 after President Bush pledged to support India's rise as a global player with the unspoken aim of countering China. The US also has a separate trilateral involving Japan and Australia.
All countries are leery of China's rise, but India alone among the players has refused to sign on to an alliance with Washington, believing it has to live harmoniously with its giant neighbor. For the record though, both Washington and New Delhi have said their East Asia engagement is not directed at Beijing. In fact, Washington has also tried to initiate a US-China-India trilateral but Beijing has not responded to the idea.
Growing mistrust of China in the region is expected to further spur multilateral initiatives in the region.
Link - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-talks-with-US-Japan/articleshow/19847403.cms
The previously scheduled engagement, not directly linked to the ongoing border and maritime spat India and Japan respectively are having with China, is part of the growing security and economic dialogue between the three countries. It is also in tune with Washington's Asian pivot aimed at shoring up its Asia-Pacific alliances in the face of Beijing's growing assertiveness. Although India is not a formal US ally, it has signed up for the dialogue that goes beyond security cooperation.
A boilerplate statement from the state department said the United States hosted Japan and India for their fourth trilateral dialogue, "exchanging views on a wide range of regional and global issues of mutual interest." This discussion, it said, was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs James Zumwalt.
The Indian delegation was headed by external affairs ministry joint secretaries D B Venkatesh Varma and Vikram Doraiswami and Japanese delegation was headed by deputy vice-foreign minister for foreign policy Kenji Hiramatsu and deputy director-general Kanji Yamanouchi.
Ribbed by journalists to spare them anodyne statements, the state department later expanded the statement to say the "discussions focused on the prospect of greater Indo-Pacific commercial connectivity and regional and maritime security, and cooperation in multilateral fora." All sides welcomed the frank and comprehensive nature of the discussions and agreed the talks help advance shared values and interests, it added.
The group agreed to meet again in the fall in Tokyo to continue their deliberations.
The Obama administration incidentally has noted the ongoing border row between India and China, and expressed hope that the two sides would resolve the issue amicably.
The US-India-Japan trilateral began in 2011 as part of Washington's endeavor to start "mini-laterals" in Asia to circumvent any possible disagreement that a larger multi-lateral could engender, given the dissonance between various middling powers in the region on how to deal with China. The USInJa grew out of separate East Asia specific bilateral that Washington initiated with New Delhi in 2009 after President Bush pledged to support India's rise as a global player with the unspoken aim of countering China. The US also has a separate trilateral involving Japan and Australia.
All countries are leery of China's rise, but India alone among the players has refused to sign on to an alliance with Washington, believing it has to live harmoniously with its giant neighbor. For the record though, both Washington and New Delhi have said their East Asia engagement is not directed at Beijing. In fact, Washington has also tried to initiate a US-China-India trilateral but Beijing has not responded to the idea.
Growing mistrust of China in the region is expected to further spur multilateral initiatives in the region.
Link - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-talks-with-US-Japan/articleshow/19847403.cms
