US and Indian officials met for the sixth session of consultations on East Asia on Friday, said the State Department in a press release earlier this week.
The two countries will “share views on regional priorities and identify areas for cooperation in ... regional and multilateral institutions.”
The announcement comes a day after India sought unsuccessfully to sabotage a key US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.
The State Department statement said:
'Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel and Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal will welcome senior Indian officials to the State Department for the sixth session of the U.S.–India East Asia Consultations.
This dialogue is an opportunity for the United States and India to share views on regional priorities and identify areas for cooperation in our engagement with regional and multilateral institutions.
Prior to the talks, Assistant Secretary Biswal said, “We look forward to welcoming Indian Ambassador Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary for East Asia Gautam Bambawale, Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary for the Americas Vikram Doraiswami, Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, and other Indian and U.S. officials to discuss a variety of issues including maritime security, expanding regional trade opportunities, and increasing our cooperation in multilateral fora.
As the United States continues to implement our strategic rebalance to Asia we will work with India to address both the challenges and the opportunities across the Indo–Pacific region.'