Pompeo in India for talks on China 'threats'
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in New Delhi on
Monday, kicking off a four-country Asia tour that he has said will focus on the
"threats" posed by China.
Joined by Defense Secretary Mark Esper for the two-day
visit, Pompeo will hold top-level talks following a spike in tensions between
India and China since a deadly border clash in June.
India has sought US cold weather equipment as the showdown
goes into the freezing Himalayan winter and officials said this could be raised
when Pompeo and Esper meet India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The world's two biggest democracies are expected to sign an
agreement on sharing geo-spatial intelligence, paving the way for the United
States to ship sophisticated missile technology, officials said.
Esper will also be discussing ways to increase cooperation
between the two countries' military forces.
This could include intelligence sharing, stepping up joint
exercises, and arms sales -- including possibly US F-18 fighter jets.
Pompeo will go on from India to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and
Indonesia, all of which have a key role in Indian Ocean maritime traffic where
China has cast a greater shadow.
The secretary of state said ahead of the trip that his
meetings would "include discussions on how free nations can work together
to thwart threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party".
