US, India affirm to promote shared interests in Indo-Pacific region and beyond

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have welcomed increased cooperation between the US and India under the Quad grouping, including in the multilateral domain given their shared vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region concerning territorial integrity and sovereignty, and international law.

During the first in-person bilateral meeting between Biden and Modi at the White House on Friday, the two leaders agreed to promote shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan, and Australia.

Modi and Biden ''affirmed a clear vision that will guide the US-India relationship forward: building a strategic partnership and working together with regional groupings, including ASEAN and Quad members, to promote shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,'' said a joint statement released after the bilateral meeting.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan, and Australia are its dialogue partners. The 10 member countries of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

India, the US, and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open, and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the resource-rich region.

China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.

They also looked forward to developing a trade and investment partnership that increases prosperity for working families in both countries and finishing the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and other health challenges.

The leaders also discussed galvanizing global efforts to scale up climate action; strengthening democratic values and institutions in support of our respective peoples; and enhancing people-to-people ties that have made both countries stronger, the statement said.

In addition, they looked forward to the launch of the US-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation to advance cooperation on health, education, and the environment.

As global partners, the United States and India resolved to further strengthen their collaboration in education, science and technology, and people-to-people engagement. The Leaders welcomed close consultations through the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue of the Foreign and Defence Ministers of India and the United States to be held later this year.

The leaders celebrated the deep and vibrant ties between the people of both nations, which underpins the special bond between the US and India, and has sustained their partnership for nearly 75 years.

They reaffirmed, and encouraged others to embrace, their shared values of freedom, democracy, universal human rights, tolerance and pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens, and committed to pursuing efforts towards sustainable development and global peace and security.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed his deep appreciation for the repatriation of antiquities to India by the US. The leaders committed to strengthening their efforts to combat the theft, illicit trade, and trafficking of cultural objects.

Reflecting shared values and principles, and growing strategic convergence, President Biden and Prime Minister Modi resolved to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and look forward to what the United States and India will achieve together.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)