The United States launches a diplomatic offensive in Asia to counter China with high-level tours

The head of US diplomacy, Mike Pompeo, begins this Monday in diplomatic offensive that will accompany you India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia, and that seeks to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region and South Asia.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper will accompany Pompeo on a trip that comes just a week before the US elections, underlining the importance Washington attaches to growing tension with Beijing.

“I’m sure my meetings will also include discussions on how free nations can work together to counter threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party“He assured Pompeo at a press conference in Washington when he announced the trip, in which he emphasized the search for a” free and open Indo-Pacific “.

Dean R. Thompson, head of Central and South Asia at the US State Department, said during a virtual briefing that this trip “is driven by the situation in the region”, where “many” events are taking place.

INDIA

The visit to New Delhi, which has major border disputes with Beijing in the Himalayas, is part of the third round of the 2 + 2 India-US ministerial talks, which on Tuesday will bring together Pompeo and Esper with their Indian counterparts Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Rajnath. Singh.

The two parties could sign the file Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), a satellite data exchange agreement this will allow India to achieve greater accuracy in the management of its missiles, drones and military hardware systems.

This agreement joins three other security agreements already signed between India and the United States, pacts that Washington usually limits to its NATO partners and Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Australia, with which it forms a containment block. for China’s alleged expansionist desires, which threaten maritime trade.

But India’s tension with China is not limited to the sea, with a border dispute over the Himalayas that last June saw the worst escalation in decades, with the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers in a confrontation with the military. Chinese.

“The two sides (India and the United States) will therefore send a strong signal of their common interests in the Indo-Pacific region for peace and a rules-based order, which is an understatement for jointly confronting an overtly aggressive Communist China.” Indian military and strategic affairs analyst NC Bipindra told EFE. Furthermore, he assured that the confrontation on the border with China “only encouraged India to get rid of its previous policy of (remaining) equidistant from the United States and China, which are fighting for world hegemony”.

“India in general has always been committed to siding with democracies,” Bipindra added, referring to the alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan and India known as the Quad. The Indian Navy will also hold Malabar naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal in the coming weeks, with the participation of the Quad Countries, the aim of which is, according to the Indian Ministry of Defense, a “free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific”.

SRI LANKA, MALDIVES AND INDONESIA

After the stopover in New Delhi, Pompeo will continue his Asian tour in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia, where, according to the defense analyst, the head of US diplomacy will continue his commitment “to contain Chinese influence”.

Michael Kugelman, head of the South Asia department at the American Wilson Center, acknowledged to Efe that “It is extraordinary, no doubt, that Pompeo is visiting various countries of Asia that have become increasingly indebted to Chinese influence, but at the same time are ambiguous about Beijing’s deepening footprint on their soil.“.

“Para Pompeo, a main objective will be to convince the leaders of these countries that it is best to cover their bets with Washington and, by extension, New Delhi“, He assured.

The voyage to Colombo comes after China over the last decade has granted the island billion-dollar loans for its development, the latest of which this month, amounting to about one hundred million dollars.

China considers Sri Lanka a key strategic point in its ambitious “New Silk Road” commercial project, which Beijing supports by promoting key infrastructure such as airports, highways and ports; although some voices criticize that these loans are not profitable, a trap to borrow.

Thompson was clear on this. “We urge Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary decisions to ensure its economic independence for long-term prosperity, and we are ready to partner with Sri Lanka for its economic development and growth,” he said.

(With information from EFE)

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