China’s aggression in Ladakh, terrorism in the region and steps to further cement India-US defence ties will be on the top of the agenda when the US defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrives in India this evening for the first in-person engagement between the Modi government and Joe Biden administration, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
“This is Secretary Austin’s first visit abroad after the Quad summit and the first high-level visit by a senior representative of the new US administration. Meetings will be on broad issues, not a detailed exchange of specifics,” said a senior government official.
India is the third stop of Austin’s three-nation tour, an effort by the Biden administration to bolster a united front against China which was famously described by Austin as the “pacing threat”.
“China … presents the most significant threat going forward because China is ascending,” Austin told the Senate confirmation hearing back in January, underlining that in contrast to Beijing, the threat from Moscow “is in decline”.
“Our goal is to make sure that we have the capabilities and the operational plans and concepts to be able to offer credible deterrence to China or anybody else who wants to take on the US.”
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