India-US 2+2 ministerial forum "EMPOWER IAS"

Context:

• At the Delhi meet which is scheduled soon, India must ensure that its gamble with Trump’s regime so close to the U.S. election pays off.

 

More on the news:

• U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Defence Secretary, are visiting India for the thrd India-US. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
• Considering the upcoming US election uncertainty, India must consider carefully just what it discusses and projects from the meeting.

 

Background for the 2+2 Dialogue:

• 2+2 dialogue is a new concept in foreign policy which establishes a dialogue mechanism between two important ministries of two collaborating countries.
• Japan is the pioneer of this format which establishes diplomatic ‘two plus two dialogue’ with US, France, Russia. India and Australia
• India has established the 2+2 dialogue primarily with Japan annually since 2010
• This is the first 2+2 dialogue between India and US where the ministers of defence and external affairs met up to discuss the two countries’ strategic and security interests.
• This two plus two dialogue has replaced earlier India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

 

Importance of 2+2 Dialogue:

• The India-U.S. 2+2 Dialogue is aimed for enhancing strategic coordination between both the countries and maintaining peace and stability in Indo-Pacific region.
• Key components covered under the 2+2 Dialogue :
  • Trade issues,
  • Defence agreements,
  • Cooperation on fighting terrorism,
  • Advancing “a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region” and
  • Promoting sustainable “debt-financing” in the region

 

Probable agenda of the meeting

• The US brief is clear, to ensure that India (also Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia), makes a strong, public, strategic commitment to the U.S. on its plans in the Indo-Pacific.
  • On the maritime sphere, discussions will surely include strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific, enhancing joint military exercises like the ‘Malabar’, where the entire Quad including Australia will participate.
• Other items on the agenda will be the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
  • In the last two meetings, agreements known as LEMOA and COMCASA were signed.

• Analysing the relations with China
  • It is critical to study just how India hopes to collaborate with the U.S. on the challenge that China poses on each of India’s three fronts: 
    • At the LAC, 
    • In the maritime sphere, and 
    • In the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region surrounding India.

Other issues of importance

• Trade issues: 
  • The US needs to commit to restoring India’s Generalised System of Preferences status for exporters. 
• The Indian government could also press for more cooperation on 5G technology sharing. 
• India could also focus on getting an assurance that its S-400 missile system purchase from Russia will receive an exemption from the U.S.’s Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions.

 

BECA

• The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement largely pertains to geospatial intelligence, and sharing information on maps and satellite images for defence. 
• Geospatial information: Anyone who sails a ship, flies an aircraft, fights wars, locates targets, responds to natural disasters, or even navigates with a cellphone relies on geospatial intelligence.
• Signing BECA will allow India to use the US’s advanced geospatial intelligence and enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones. 
• This could be key for Air Force-to-Air Force cooperation.