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US Navy ships being headed by an aircraft carrier.
With eyes on containing China's growing presence in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States (US) and the Maldives have signed into a framework for defence cooperation to deepen the bilateral engagement in maintaining the peace and security in the strategic Indian ocean, reports Hindustan Times.
Announcing the development, top US defence authority Pentagon said that signing of the framework marks an important step forward in the defence partnership between the two nations.
The framework outlines scores of bilateral activities including senior-level dialogues, discussions, engagements and opportunities in areas such as maritime domain awareness, natural disasters, and humanitarian relief operations.