New Delhi, October 26: The 2+2 ministerial dialogue, which is also the first major in-person bilateral talks in India since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, will be held on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper landed in New Delhi on Monday. The high-level meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled tomorrow.

This would be the third 2+2 dialogue with India - the earlier two held in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Ahead of the upcoming meeting, Deputy Secretary of Stephen E Biegun had visited Delhi, and laid the groundwork for the visit of Pompeo and Esper. Here's what to expect.

LAC Tensions

According to Beigun, who attended the US-India Forum on October 12, minced no words in describing "China as elephant in the room" ahead of the 2+2 dialogue. His remarks indicated that the ongoing standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) would be discussed during the meeting.

Defence Partnership

The sale of arms and ammunition, upgradation of India as America's top defence partner and joint military exercises are expected to be discussed during the talks. Military-to-military interaction would remain a focus, said analysts, as the US is also set to participate in the Malabar exercise, a quadrilateral drill in the Indian Ocean region involving the US, Japan, Australia and India.

Regional Security Cooperation

India and the US are expected to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation (BECA), a senior official was reported as saying. Countries with whom the US has inked BECA-like pacts enable interoperability of forces and exchange of sensitive and classified information. The case-specific amendments are expected to made by the US while offering the final deal to India.

Cross-Border Terrorism

While the thrust of shared geopolitical concerns remains the challenges posed by China in Himalayan and South China Sea regions, India is also expected to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism "emanating from Pakistan". New Delhi, at most bilateral and multilateral forums, has maintained that the world must call out and act against nations which are abetting the menace of terrorism, and using terror as a state policy.

The 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States comes ahead of the presidential elections in the US. President Donald Trump had earlier said that he may ink a bilateral trade deal with India after he gets re-elected.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 26, 2020 07:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).