An American diplomat stated that the issue of LAC between India and China can be discussed in the 2+2 Indo-US meet (ministerial discussion) to be held in the coming week in New Delhi. The discussions will be carried out during the simultaneous visit to India next week by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Dean Thompson stated that the two sides are also finalizing their agenda of the discussion on a number of agreements especially the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) ahead of the meeting between the defense and foreigner ministers of the two countries.

Dean Thompson stated that the situation on the LAC (line of control) will presumably be discussed at some point and that they are inspecting the situation closely. He also mentioned that both sides have underlined a desire to disarm violence in the LAC context. They are also in the process of finalizing discussions right now and so BECA and other agreements are also in the pipeline for the same.

The BECA is described as one of the four pillars of success of the DTTI  arrangement between India and US. The other agreements included under the DTTI are GSOMIA, CISMOA, and LEMOA.  BECA would allow India to have geospatial intelligence sharing from USA and it would help India to share and have access to sensitive data to support and coordinate in targeting and navigation with USA and its allies. It will also provide India access to missile systems and different aircraft survivability hardwares. It is intended to be signed during the upcoming 2+2 meeting. EAM, India, S. Jaishankar, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their American counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper for the third edition of the dialogue that will be centralized around diplomatic and security ties along with institutionalizing intelligence sharing and on efforts to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Dean Thompson also said that the 2+2 format meeting for our closest friend and partners reflect the trust that the US and India are stronger, more secure when they work together prosperously. The meet will also be a platform to discuss about the focus on Global cooperation on pandemic response. In the 2+2 meetings with New Delhi, US would look for “opportunities to expand the US-India partnership” in the encouragement of the mutual interest during the current challenging time.

The India–China standoff in Ladakh sector, which will certainly be discussed in the meet, has spilled into its sixth month. Tens of thousands of troops have been assembled by both sides which are now set to remain organized along the LAC through the harsh winter. It is anticipated that the military commanders of the two sides would come together for another round of talk by next week to try and move forward with the disengagement and de-escalation process.

During the visit, Mr. Pompeo will also travel to Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, where his focus will remain on the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific strategy. Pompeo has frequently repeated, that this will involve “countering” the challenges from China.

The 2+2 Foreign and Defence Minister’s Mechanism was held in Delhi in September 2018 and in Washington DC in December 2019. It had replaced the “India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial dialogue”, involving the Foreign and Commerce Ministers.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.