India a key pillar of Donald Trump's foreign policy: Mike Pompeo

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that New Delhi is an important partner and a key pillar of President Donald Trump's foreign policy. In his virtual keynote address to the annual 'India Ideas Summit' of the US India Business Council (USIBC) yesterday, Mr Pompeo described India as one of the few trusted like-minded countries and said, India is a rising US defense and security partner in the Indo-Pacific and also at the global level. He said, the United States, desires a new age of ambition in its relationship with India. Mr. Pompeo said, the US has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the next G-7 meeting to be hosted by President Trump.

Meanwhile, Navies from the US, India, Australia, Japan and France have been deepening their mutual cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region



in view of China's growing attempt to expand military influence in the resource-rich region. On Monday, a US Navy carrier strike group led by nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz carried out a military drill with a fleet of Indian warships off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Four frontline warships of the Indian Navy participated in the "PASSEX" exercise when the US carrier strike group was transiting through the Indian Ocean Region on its way from the South China Sea. The USS Nimitz is the world's largest warship and the exercise between the two navies assumed significance as it took place in the midst of tensions between India and China in eastern Ladakh as well as in China's military assertiveness in the South China Sea.