US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Visits India

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper arrived in India to strengthen strategic ties between the two countries.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper arrived in India on Monday 26th October. Pompeo & Esper will have a meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. They will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The meeting is being held to discuss India China’s problems at the border and other global and regional issues will also be discussed. 

The US feels that China is being very aggressive with India. China has been encroaching on territories of India as well as other countries. China has also started asserting dominance over the Maldives and Sri Lanka by building many infrastructure projects. Hence, Pompeo and Esper will visit government officials of Sri Lanks & Maldives to discuss these issues. According to various news reports, India & the US may finalise the long-pending BECA - Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement. If this agreement is signed, then India and the USA can share high-end military technology and geological maps between them. Currently, India has asked the US to give India cold-weather equipment for the Indian Army who is posted at the LAC in the Himalayas. This is because once winter starts, it will become freezing cold. This will be discussed at the meeting as well. 

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