According to sources in India’s External Affairs Ministry, senior diplomat Jaideep Mazumdar went to Beijing and met senior Chinese and Russian diplomats to discuss possible changes in US policy towards the Asia-Pacific in the Trump era. Keeping this as the backdrop, they discussed the prospects of a three-nation engagement on Asia-Pacific to strengthen regional security and cooperation within regional and multilateral fora. The diplomats agreed to continue the engagement and hold the next round of trilateral talks on Asia-Pacific sometime next year.
However, given the criticism Obama faced for this policy, Trump has indicated his disinterest in continuing his predecessor’s legacy, raising hackles in India’s pro-West strategic community which feels this will have a major bearing on New Delhi’s ‘Act East Policy’.
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