Now Reading: India, Japan sign maritime security pact amid China concerns
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India, Japan sign maritime security pact amid China concerns
India and Japan on Thursday signed a pact to bolster maritime security ties and agreed to deepen bilateral military cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific, in a move seen as a…
India and Japan on Thursday signed a pact to bolster maritime security ties and agreed to deepen bilateral military cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific, in a move seen as a response to China's increasing military assertiveness in the region. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi expressed strong opposition to unilateral actions that impede freedom of navigation and attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.
The two sides agreed to explore joint naval shipbuilding and design, leveraging Japan's technological expertise and India's production capabilities under the 'Make in India' framework. They also decided to establish a working group to advance cooperation in intelligence, equipment, technology, and industrial domains, and to promote cooperation through the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN) for disaster response.
The ministers signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on maritime security cooperation, covering information sharing, search and rescue, and enhanced coordination between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy. They also agreed to deepen exchanges between special operations forces and pursue cooperation with India's integrated theatre commands once established.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The agreement signals a deepening of the strategic hedge against Beijing's growing naval footprint in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. For India, joint shipbuilding could reduce dependency on Russian platforms and access Japanese propulsion and sonar technology, though past defence equipment deals with Tokyo have moved slowly. The working group on intelligence and technology will test whether trust built through annual Malabar exercises translates into operational data-sharing. The next milestone to watch is the conclusion of a ship repair arrangement and progress on the UNICORN communications antenna system, the first defence equipment transfer project between the two countries.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
