US - India deny plans for joint patrols in the East Sea

The US State Department and the Indian Defense Ministry have denied reports that the two countries are discussing plans for joint patrols in the South China Sea.

Indian naval officers on board the newly built INS Kochi at a shipyard in Mumbai last December. Photo: Reuters

"The United States and India have a shared vision for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia," US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on February 11, but said there were currently no plans for any joint patrols.

Times of India quoted a senior source from the Indian Ministry of Defense also denying information that the two countries had discussed joint maritime patrols and in the future could expand to the East Sea.

"Such reports are largely speculative. Any bilateral discussions that took place between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart Ash Carter in the US were reflected in a joint statement issued on December 11," the source said this week.

China on February 11 responded to a Reuters report that the US and India were discussing joint patrols in the South China Sea. "Cooperation between any country should not be aimed at a third party," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

The US and India have strengthened military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean with Japan. But the Indian navy has never patrolled together with another country.

According to VNE