Indo Pacific Ties

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Brunei on first leg of two-nation visit

As he embarked on a visit to Brunei and Singapore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the two nations are "important partners" in India's 'Act East' policy and asserted that his visits would further strengthen the partnership with the two countries and the larger ASEAN region. Modi is on a two-nation visit from September 3-5, starting with Brunei. "Today, I am embarking on a first ever bilateral visit to Brunei Darussalam. As we celebrate the 40 years of our diplomatic relations, I look forward to my meetings with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other esteemed members of the Royal family to advance our historical relationship to new heights," he said in his departure statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. The visit will further strengthen India's cooperation with Brunei in all existing sectors, including defence cooperation, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health cooperation, capacity building, culture as well as ...

Amid US political chaos, Blinken heads to Asia to bolster Indo-Pacific ties

Ignoring the political chaos surrounding President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection campaign, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Asia this week on a long-planned eight-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners but with the priority of assuring them that the United States remains committed to the region. The State Department announced on Monday that Blinken, a longtime close aide to Biden dating from the president's days in the Senate, will travel to Vietnam, Laos, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia for a series of international and bilateral meetings. Those will include discussions in Laos with his Chinese counterpart and strategic and security talks in Tokyo and Manila also involving Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. The trip had been scheduled well before Biden's announcement on Sunday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race. State Department officials said there was no discussion of cancelling or postponing

India to apply for licences to scout Pacific Ocean for critical minerals

China, Russia, and some Pacific Island nations have already secured exploration licences for the Pacific Ocean

India supports Pacific islands' quest for development: EAM Jaishankar

India considers supporting the Pacific islands' quest for development as its responsibility, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday. In his brief remarks at an event, Jaishankar also said the Islands in the Pacific are not "small Islands" but rather "large Ocean countries" and that India is privileged to be their partners. "We consider it our responsibility to support the Pacific Islands in their quest for sustainable development. Climate change, natural disasters, poverty alleviation and healthcare are common challenges that we need to address together," he said. "India is always ready to do more with our Indo-Pacific partners," he added. Jaishankar's remarks came at a virtual ceremony that saw India signing an MoU for implementation of four community development projects in the Marshall Islands. "I am glad that these projects cover areas, including a community sports centre in Ailuk Atoll, airport terminal on Mejit Island, community centres at the Arno and Wotje .

Indo-Pacific strategy has enhanced security, prosperity: White House

The execution of Indo-Pacific Strategy has made the United States and the key region more secure and more prosperous, and expanded the bilateral partnership with India in unprecedented ways, the White House said Friday. Addressing the media on the second anniversary of the launch of the landmark foreign policy strategy of the Biden administration, Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council of the White House, said "the United States has never been in a stronger position in the Indo-Pacific". "Over the past two years, we have made historic progress in advancing an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. Thanks to President Biden's leadership, the United States has never been in a stronger position in the Indo-Pacific," she said. In the two years since the launch of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, the US has reinvested and revitalized its alliances and partnerships and taken them to new heights, Watson said. "We have deepene

Japan OKs record $56 bn defence budget amid China, North Korea tensions

Japan's defence spending will surge more than 16 per cent next year under a record military budget approved on Friday by the Cabinet that will accelerate deployment of long-range cruise missiles that can hit targets in China or North Korea. It also will further fortify the military with F-35 stealth combat jets and other American weapons as Japanese troops increasingly work with allies and take on more offensive roles. The 7.95 trillion-yen (USD 56 billion) budget plan for the 2024 fiscal year beginning March marks the second year of a five-year military buildup program under a new security strategy Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government adopted a year ago. The reinforcement of strike capability under the strategy is a major break from Japan's postwar principle of limiting use of force to self-defence. Japan plans to spend 43 trillion yen (USD 300 billion) through 2027 to bolster military power and nearly double its annual spending to around 10 trillion yen (USD 68 billion), maki

IPEF supply chain pact to increase resilience in Indo Pacific region

The supply chain agreement, signed by the 14-member grouping IPEF, aims to increase the resilience, efficiency, diversification, and security of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region, Parliament was informed on Friday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the agreement seeks to establish institutional mechanisms to enable the 14 countries to work together on supply chains in critical sectors and key goods. IPEF partners, including India, signed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience on November 14, 2023. The IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region on May 23 in Tokyo. The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP and 28 per cent of global goods and services trade. The framework is structured around four pillars relating to trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy (issues like tax and ...

14-nation agreement on supply chain resilience opens doors for India

IPEF aims to reduce dependence on China and strengthen manufacturing of essential goods in member nations

India, US increasingly in agreement on strategic issues: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar led the Indian delegation at the 2+2 ministerial talks in which the US side on Friday.

India shouldn't agree to free cross-border data flows under IPEF: GTRI

India should not agree to take binding commitments on free cross-border data flows under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a 14-member grouping, as the move would lock its policy space, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. The IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region on May 23 in Tokyo. The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP and 28 per cent of global goods and services trade. The framework is structured around four pillars relating to trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy (issues like tax and anti-corruption). India has joined all the pillars except the trade one. "India has not joined the IPEF trade pillar which includes taking onerous commitments on digital trade. India should never agree to binding commitments on free cross-border data flows as it will lock in the future," Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. It added that taking the commitments under the World Trade Organisation'

The Indo-Pacific power play

The US bolstering its alliances in the region to counter China puts India's strategic autonomy to the test

IPEF may bring 3-year exit clause to allow members to move out of deal

To enable easy exit of members from a pact

As a mark of respect, Papua New Guinea PM touches PM Modi's feet; see video

PM Modi's visit to Papua New Guinea is the first-ever tour by any Indian Prime Minister to the Pacific island country

EAM discusses situation in Indo-Pacific with his Colombian counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Columbian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar arrived here in Colombia's capital from Panama on Wednesday. He is the first external affairs minister to have visited Columbia. "Met Foreign Minister @AlvaroLeyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains," he tweeted about his meeting on Wednesday. "Proposed greater exchanges and stronger collaboration, especially in capacity building. Also spoke about global issues, including the Indo-Pacific. Addressed the issue of Reformed Multilateralism," he said. The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific. The evolving situation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region in the wake of .

US trade rep deepens economic security ties in Asia, reviews IPEF

The United States hopes to deepen trade ties with Japan as it fortifies cooperation on economic security with its Asian allies and partners, the top US trade envoy said Wednesday. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai's visit to Tokyo follows a trip to the Philippine capital, Manila, that she said highlighted a newly emerging partnership among the three countries as they build both economic and defence ties. Tai met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to discuss making supply chains more resilient and secure, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Tai also reviewed the status of negotiations on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, a new trade pact proposed by Washington, emphasising the importance of cooperation with Japan, it said. The framework has 13 members, including the US, that account for 40 per cent of global gross domestic product: Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore,

India-US people-to-people ties to get stronger, better: WH official

There is no stronger people-to-people ties between any country than what the US enjoys with India, a top White House official has said and observed that in many areas, governments need to get out of the way and let people from the two democracies work together. Kurt Campbell, the Indo Pacific Coordinator of US National Security Council, also said that the over the years the tow countries have built a "stronger relationship" that will only get better. "This is not just a meeting of elites. It is not just about technology. It's not just about working together on security issues. This is a relationship that is based at the people-to-people level. There is no stronger people-to-people ties between any country that the US enjoys than with India," he said while addressing a gathering of hundreds of Indian Americans at an event organised here by the Indian Embassy to celebrate the country's diversity. "This is the most powerful connectivity between two people I've ever experienced. In many

Foreign ministers of Quad countries meet in Delhi, reaffirm commitments

The foreign ministers of Quad countries on Friday reaffirmed the grouping's commitment for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and said it strongly supports the principles of rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity and peaceful settlement of disputes. The Quad foreign ministers carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in the Indo-Pacific at a meeting presided over by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Penny Wong. The meeting came in the backdrop of growing global concerns over increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region. "Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad's steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient," a joint statement said. "We strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of

India's observer status raises questions about its IPEF plans

A former Indian commerce secretary, under condition of anonymity, said India might have consciously decided to participate as an observer since it might not be ready for this agreement right now

Explained: What's in Biden's proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

The framework has 13 members including Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

Pacific most likely to see 'strategic surprise': US official on China role

Construction on the tiny island of Kanton would offer China a foothold deep in territory that had been firmly aligned to the US.