Beyond 2+2

India must secure its own regional interests as well

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper’s visits for the third 2+2 dialogue for bilateral defence cooperation present both opportunities and risks for India. For India, the meeting takes place against the backdrop of the five-month stand-off with the Chinese military along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. For the US, the meetings signal the gathering momentum of a strategic US-led anti-Chinese partnership in Asia. It is almost certain that the deal would not have happened without the Chinese threat becoming real for India after the Doklam and Ladakh crisis. Mr Pompeo, whose itinerary includes