Third Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue On 26, 27 October; Secretary Of State Pompeo And Defence Secretary Esper To Visit

The third edition of the India and the United States (US)' two-plus-two dialogue is likely to take place on 26 and 27 October in New Delhi, The Times of India reported on Thursday (8 October).

The report, citing officials who are aware of the matter, said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper are scheduled to visit India on the said dates, where as External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the dialogue.

The two sides are like to discuss and review the strategic cooperation between the two nations thoroughly.

The third edition comes at a crucial time when both the countries have been dealing with an aggressive China. While India is currently tackling border intrusions by China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, the US administration has been critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime blaming it for the Covid-19 pandemic.

India and the US have also recently taken severe actions against several Chinese companies including TikTok and Huawei on charges of espionage for their government.

Approved by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, the first two-plus-two meet was conducted in September 2018 in New Delhi. US capital Washington hosted the dialogue last year in December.

In the latest edition of the dialogue, India and the US officials are expected to analyse the current circumstances in the Indo-Pacific region.

However, as per a source cited in the report, no big announcement is expected due to the dates being close the US presidential elections.