New Delhi: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo was part of the  2+2 India-US talks today said in the national capital when he said that America will stand with India in the efforts to defend its sovereignty in reference to the Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. ALSO READ | Amid Rising Border Dispute, India Plans To Reorganise Military Under Five Theatre Commands With 1 Each For China & Pak


At the bilateral meet, Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar had remarked that "in the area of defence we are challenged by reckless aggression on our northern borders".

Criticising the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Mike Pompeo stated the US leaders and citizens are able to see it with increasing clarity that the "CCP is no friend to democracy, the rule of law and transparency".

He discussed several issues from "cooperating on defeating the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, to confronting the CCP's threats to security and freedom, to promoting peace and stability throughout the region".

"The US will stand with India as they confront threats to their sovereignty and liberty," Pompeo assured as he honoured the army personnel who sacrificed their lives for protecting the "world's largest democracy".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the 2+2 talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper. Both sides were accompanied by their top military and security officials.


The bilateral talks are also significant as the US leaders have flown down to India amid the Coronavirus threat and as the Trump administration is aggressively involved in campaigning ahead of the presidential elections.

In the meet, India and the US have signed the landmark defence pact, BECA, which allows them to share high-end military technology, geospatial maps and classified satellite data between their militaries as both the countries aim to ramp up their security ties and boost strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region as China aggressively pushed to grow its economic and military dominance in the region.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the two sides held a comprehensive discussion on various key issues and called Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) with the US a "significant move".

Officials said the fresh BECA agreement will give India access to classified geospatial data as well as crucial data that has significant military applications from the US.

(With inputs from agencies)