Japan, India agree to boost military ties, sending message to China

(Baonghean.vn) - According to Sputnik, Japan and India have agreed to promote cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is increasingly showing its influence.dominate.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Photo: Sputnik

India and Japan have agreed to boost defence ties in what is seen as a clear message to China, sources said. The bilateral agreement was reached during the two countries’ annual summit in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

According to a joint statement issued after the talks, the two sides agreed to promote defense and security cooperation and dialogue, including the Malabar exercise and other joint exercises, defense equipment and technology cooperation in areas such as surveillance, autonomous system technologies and defense industry cooperation.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also reiterated that defence and security cooperation was a key focus of the discussions.

“Most of the discussions revolved around strengthening defence and security cooperation. In defence and security cooperation, the focus was on maritime security. We also agreed to explore cooperation and exchanges between the Indian Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, which also involves cooperation between the Indian Air Force and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. There were discussions on defence cooperation including technical cooperation, equipment and US-2 amphibious aircraft,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a press conference on September 14.

Meanwhile, China has expressed doubts about this development, saying that India and Japan should strive for partnership instead of alliance against another entity.

“We support countries in the region advocating dialogue without confrontation and striving for partnership rather than alliance,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing.

Indian experts say India's alliance with Japan, the US and Australia is indeed a major concern for China.

“There is no doubt that the growing defense cooperation with Japan is essentially aimed at counterbalancing China. There are three areas where India and Japan’s interests converge to counterbalance China: the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and Southeast Asia. The fact is that China is closely watching these developments and especially India’s alliances with Japan, the United States, and Australia,” Professor Sudhir Singh, an expert on strategic issues, told Sputnik.

Phu Binh

(According to Sputnik)