India-US Partnership in Spotlight: S Jaishankar- Marco Rubio Hold Talks in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Kuala Lumpur on Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. The two discussed bilateral relations, trade talks, and regional issues. Jaishankar wrote on X, "Pleased to meet Rubio. Useful conversation on bilateral, regional, and global issues."

Steps towards a trade agreement

5 rounds of talks of the first phase of the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) have been completed. Tariff cuts, removal of additional duty on Russian oil, and a $500 billion trade target were agreed upon. Jaishankar reviewed progress on these issues with Rubio.

Pakistan relations: Respecting India's concerns

"We want to grow our strategic relationship with Pakistan, but not at the expense of our deep, historic relationship with India," Rubio said ahead of the meeting. He appreciated India's diplomatic maturity and clarified that Pakistan's cooperation on counter-terrorism will not affect the India-US partnership.

India's activity in ASEAN

Jaishankar also met Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkyo at the ASEAN summit being chaired by Malaysia. Joint statement on sustainable tourism adopted at ASEAN-India summit.

Strong partnership in Indo-Pacific

The meeting focused on the South China Sea dispute, regional stability, and maritime cooperation. There was discussion towards declaring 2026 as the 'Year of Maritime Cooperation.' Both countries agreed to promote a free, open, and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.
This dialogue will give new strength to the India-US strategic partnership.