India must see to solidify ties with strategic partners under 2+2 format, says Meera Shankar

Ahead of Indo-Japan 2+2 ministerial meeting, ETV Bharat's Chandrakala Chaudhury spoke to former US Ambassador Meera Shankar on the possible takeaways and the course of the dialogue and the way forward. Read on to find out more on what the former diplomat said.

New Delhi:Measures on countering Chinese growing assertiveness in Indo-Pacific and security concerns from Eastern Ladakh to Senkaku island are expected to be figure in the India-Japan 2+2 ministerial meeting which will be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar from the Indian side, scheduled to begin in Tokyo on September 8.

Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will host the Defence Ministerial Meeting and Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. ETV Bharatspoke to India'a ex-ambassador to US Meera Shankar on the importance of 2+2 - Excerpts from the interview

Q: With the focus on security concerns from the Himalayas to the Indo-Pacific, the India-Japan 2+2 dialogue is set to take place tomorrow. What do you think we can expect from it?

A: There is a great concern in Japan and other countries in the region over China's response to an American dignitary's visit to Taiwan. There is a feeling that there should be clear signal to China that any attempt to take Taiwan by force will not be acceptable to countries in the region and that China needs to step back from its policies about Taiwan".

China's behavior has been a concern not only vis-a-vis the Taiwan strait but also vis-a-vis the South China sea and in Japan where the dispute over Senkaku islands has been brewing, but we also have a direct border conflict with them. This is something that will certainly be on the agenda of Japan-India 2+2. Beyond that, the 2+2 relation with Japan also looks at the economic dimension of the relationships.

Q: On India and Japan ties...

A: Japan is an important economic partner and they have been the largest aid giver to India. Looking beyond that, there is a QUAD and follow-up decision with regards to some of the QUAD announcements on critical technologies, and maintaining the reliability of the supply chain, I think in all these factors, India and Japan can work closely together.

Japan has the financial resources and India has the technical capabilities available at low cost can look at delivering joint programs of technical assistance to developing countries in Asia and Africa. It adds more 'bang for the buck' as far as the efforts are concerned.

Q: In the context of the global crisis and geopolitical impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, what would be your view on the importance of the individual 2+2 dialogue that India has been initiating?

A: There is fluidity in the global strategic situation and India is responding flexibly to these situations trying to maximize it's own advantages in the situation. Clearly for India, the ties with US and Japan are very important. Especially, in the context of the China's (regional) dominance behavior.

Russia, on the other hand, has been a reliable partner of India both in defence and strategic sectors. As far as India is concerned, it would like to strengthen its relationship with US and Japan and sustain its relationship with Russia, given its historical context and the geopolitical situation with which we are confronted. It is a complex situation.

Q: How crucial do you think is '2+2' for all the strategic partners for furthering cooperation?

A: Japan is the first country with which India introduced the 2+2 and now India has introduced it with very selective strategic partners, thereby making the foreign office consultations more robust. The 2+2 is a format that India has with important and strategic partners and there is a need for India to build on this and solidify the relationship with these partners.

It is pertinent to note that this year, in particular, has witnessed a high level of engagement between India and Japan as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited India in March, and then the Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Tokyo for the QUAD Summit and held further discussions on advancing the bilateral cooperation agenda.