NEW DELHI: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday called India vital to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific after talks with his counterpart.
Speaking in New Delhi after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kishida laid out plans for billions of dollars in investments in infrastructure and other sectors across the region.
“I have described Japan’s plan to develop a free and open Indo-Pacific. To achieve this, India is an indispensable partner,” Kishida said.
“Japan will strengthen coordination with the US, Australia, UK, Canada, Europe and elsewhere. Of course, India is indispensable.”
Japan is boosting military spending and is carrying out more joint exercises with other countries, including India, which has also deepened defence cooperation with Western nations.
In June, Kishida had said Japan would help train 800 maritime security personnel and provide at least $2 billion to other countries to buy patrol boats and build up infrastructure as part of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy.
Kishida said on Monday that FOIP’s scope would expand to include new areas like climate change, cybersecurity and food security.
It would also direct public and private capital worth $75 billion towards Indo-Pacific infrastructure by 2030.
Kishida’s visit came less than a fortnight after Modi hosted his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese for talks that also covered worries about China.
Kishida added that he had invited Modi and the leaders of other countries in the region — including South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam — as well as Brazil to a G7 summit in May.
India currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20, which also includes China and Russia.. — AFP
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