Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned on Saturday after concluding his successful three-nation visit to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the prime minister's visit added momentum to India's Act East Policy. The high point of his engagements in Singapore on Saturday was a meeting with US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defence and strategic affairs conference.
The meeting came days after the Pentagon renamed its Pacific Command as Indo-Pacific Command, in a symbolic gesture to signal India's importance to the US military amid heightened tensions with China over the militarisation of the South China Sea.
Mattis and Modi held a closed-door meeting for nearly an hour during which all security-related issues of mutual and global interests were discussed, sources said. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was also present.
"The focus was on the region in the context of PM's keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue," Kumar tweeted. In his address, Modi had said that Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together.
"We should have equal access as a right under the international law to use common spaces on sea and in the air that would require freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes," the PM had said.
Mattis also addressed the dialogue where he stressed on freedom for all and "reaffirmation for rule-based order".
The meeting assumes significance as, in his address, Mattis stressed on both countries working together and with other nations for ensuring peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. "It is only appropriate that waterways remain open for all nations," Mattis said.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. The US also rejects China's claims of ownership of the area.
The Pentagon's move to rename its Pacific Command as Indo-Pacific Command is also reflective of the growing importance of India in US strategic thinking.
India was granted the 'Major Defence Partner' status by the previous Barack Obama administration, providing for transfer of technology and deeper cooperation in the defence sector. In 2016, India and the US had signed a crucial logistics defence pact, enabling their militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, making joint operations more efficient.
During his three-day visit to Singapore, Modi held wide-ranging talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong. He also visited the Changi Naval Base and met officers and sailors of the Indian Navy and Royal Singapore Navy.
Modi had arrived in Singapore after a brief halt in Malaysia where he met his 92-year-old Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohammad to personally congratulate him on his stunning election victory. During his first-ever official visit to Indonesia, Modi held "productive discussions" with President Joko Widodo.
The two countries elevated their bilateral ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terror.
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