India Seeks Stronger Ties with The US To Check China On South China Sea

India is keen on going closer to the US Administration in order to check the growth of Chinese activities on and along the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean belt. In fact, the chief of Indian Navy, Admiral Sunil Lamba, himself is on a visit to the US to firm up some concrete association with the US Navy for this purpose.

 

According to highly placed sources in the South Bloc, India is likely to sign or atleast go closer to signing a strategic cooperation pact with the US government during the course of Admiral Lamba’s five-day long visit to the US. Admiral Lamba will be meeting all the top officials in the US administration and the US Navy including the US defence minister, James Mattis, Secretary, US Navy, Richard Spencer and secretary, US Navy (Pacific Ocean), Admiral Scotch Swift.

 

The whole idea and objective is to increase and strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two naval forces and explore possibilities of a broad-based defense treaty, focusing on naval cooperation, in particular. The US Administration also wants to see India playing a bigger role and a crucial role, for that matter, on and along the South China Sea.

 

India has already formed a four nation axis with the US, Australia and Japan in last November for sea route understanding. But nothing concrete has happened on this front on ground zero, so far. Both sides however, agree that it is high time to get going on this front- the sooner the better.

 

Significantly, Admiral Lamba, during the course of his US trip, will also visit Pearl Harbor, Pentagon, Hawali, the Naval Surface Warfare Centre and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC.