Munich: Amid increasing concerns about the role of Iran in the Red Sea attacks and growing Chinese assertion in the maritime realm, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here that revolved around the fraught situation in West Asia, Ukraine and the Indo- Pacific.

The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 17, amid emerging points of contention in the India-US ties over the alleged role of an Indian agent in the foiled attempt to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Concerns about China’s increasing assertion in disputed maritime bodies such as the South China Sea figured prominently in discussions.

In the tweets posted by Dr Jaishankar on X, he mentioned that the discussions focused on Ukraine, Indo- Pacific and the Middle East, that is West Asia. According to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Secretary Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar discussed the need to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. “Secretary Blinken highlighted that the respective US and Indian approaches to maritime security in the Red Sea are mutually reinforcing and play important roles in safeguarding economic stability in the region.”

The two also discussed ongoing work to ensure lasting peace and security in the Middle East, he added. “We’re working closely on a whole host of vital priorities that are making a difference in the lives of people in India and people in the United States: increasing mutual prosperity, advancing democracy and human rights, addressing climate change, upholding together the rules-based international order,” the US State Department quoted Blinken as saying further.

The discussions on the Red Sea between the foreign ministers of India and the United States have an added importance in the context of the escalation in attacks on commercial ships by Iran backed Houthi rebels. The discussion took place a day after a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying crude oil bound for India was struck with a missile in the Red Sea. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have warned that they will continue with attacks on Red Sea shipping in solidarity with the Palestinians, as long as Israel continues to commit “crimes” against them.

The attacks on ships have disrupted global commerce and exacerbated concerns about the Israel-Hamas war. The Red Sea shipping route accounts for 50% of India’s exports and 30% of imports last fiscal. Domestic companies use the Red Sea route through the Suez Canal to trade with Europe, North America, North Africa and part of the Middle East. India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer, gets a bulk of its Russian supplies through the Red Sea.

Besides one-on-one talks, Dr Jaishankar and Mr Blinken also shared the stage during a panel discussion entitled, “Growing the Pie: Seizing Shared Opportunities”. The discussions stressed on enhancing collaboration in shaping a more inclusive world order in the context of the emergence of the Global South.

In a separate session organized by the Observer Research Foundation, Dr Jaishankar underscored the increasingly pivotal role of India as “Vishwa Mitra” (friend to the world) and in putting interests and aspirations of the Global South on the international agenda. Batting for a multipolar and inclusive world order, Jaishankar said that the world has moved on from unipolar to its natural diversity in the wake of the emergence of multiple centres of power.

Dr Jaishankar had a casual interaction with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in between the sessions at the Munich Security Conference. The two foreign ministers, however, did not hold bilateral talks as India-China relations continue to be in a deep freeze nearly three years after deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh. Chinese policies and postures, especially regarding freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, were dissected at different panel discussions in the Munich Security Conference.

In his keynote address on “China in the World,” Wang Yi warned the West that it would be making a historical mistake if it sought to decouple from China in the interests of reducing risk. “Whoever tries de-Sinicization in the name of de-risking would be making a historical mistake,” Wang said. His comments were scrutinized closely as the United States and the European Union have called publicly to reduce their dependence on China.

Besides Blinken, Dr Jaishankar also held talks with his counterparts from several countries, including Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Greece’s Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias. The three-day Munich Security Conference started on February 16, with dozens of heads of state/ government and foreign ministers in attendance.

The conference began with the scene-setting remarks by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in which he stressed on the need for creating an inclusive and rules-based order. The global order is not working for anyone anymore, he said. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, US Vice-President Kamala Harris underscored the US’ commitment to global leadership amid growing concerns in Europe about the US turning isolationist under a potential Trump presidency.

In a sign of shifting geopolitical plates, “migration through war and climate change” has now surpassed the Ukraine war as a top trigger of anxiety in the world, says a report unveiled at the Munich Security Conference, the largest foreign policy and strategy conference in Europe. The world in 2024 will be characterised by a “downward trend in world politics, marked by an increase in geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty,” Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), says in the conference’s 2024 security report, entitled “Lose-Lose.”