WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in New Delhi on Monday, kicking off a four-country Asia tour that will focus on the threats posed by China.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper has also arrived 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. Officials said this could be raised when Pompeo and Esper meet India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Both countries are expected to sign an agreement on sharing geospatial intelligence, paving the way for the United States to ship sophisticated missile technology.
Pompeo will go on from India to Sri Lanka, 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”.
