A newly-declassified US national security document obtained by ABC news has revealed previously secret details of the Trump administration's strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.
In early 2018, President Donald Trump endorsed a strategy for the Indo-Pacific developed by his National Security Council (NSC) through the course of 2017.
The US-based media outlet has obtained a national security briefing prepared by the White House.
The document was previously classified "secret" and "not for foreign nationals". It was officially declassified last week — 30 years earlier than would normally be the case — and will be officially released on Wednesday.
The document speaks of the need to "align our [US] Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, India and Japan", of deepening trilateral cooperation with Japan and Australia, and a quadrilateral security relationship with India — all moves that have been made since that time.
Also Read: US warns of threat posed by China, signs military pact with India
The US objective on India is to accelerate India's rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security by building a stronger foundation for defence cooperation and interoperability, as per the document.
The strategy also aimed to expand US defence trade and ability to transfer defence technology "and to support India through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels to help it to deal with “continental challenges such as the border dispute with China".
The United States and India signed a pact to share sensitive satellite and map data the annual Washington-New Delhi strategic dialogue held in October last year.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited India along with Defence Secretary Mark Esper, had said after talks with their Indian counterparts that the two countries had to work together to confront the threat China posed to security and freedom
The new defence pact - the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation - was a “significant milestone” that would foster cooperation between the militaries of both countries, Esper had told the news conference.
Over 10 partially redacted pages the document sets out the United States' strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific.
The language of the document is likely to be seen to confirm to Beijing its claims that the US is seeking to contain China.
The strategy commits to "devise and implement a defence strategy capable of, but not limited to: (1) denying China sustained air and sea dominance inside the 'first island chain' in a conflict; (2) defending the first island chain nations, including Taiwan; and (3) dominating all domains outside the first island chain".
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ