Editor's Pick: India's eggs and U.S.'s basket

The Hindu Newsletter - The Hindu Newsletter - Editor's Pick [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Sunday 21, March 2021 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick India's eggs and the U.S.'s basket [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) India and the U.S. have stepped up cooperation in defence, with India set to work closely with the U.S. Central Command as well as its regional commands in the [Indo-Pacific]( and African regions. This was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after discussions with [visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense](General (Retd.) Lloyd James Austin III. This closer cooperation is facilitated by the fact that India is already a signatory of the three foundational agreements for defence cooperation with the U.S. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed in 2016, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geo-spatial cooperation in 2020. These agreements lay down the terms for [defence cooperation](, such as information sharing and logistical support. The current agreement adds to the messaging from the recent summit of the [Quad framework]( of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia, which was to firmly counter China's view of itself as the prevailing power in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad summit as well as the defence cooperation with India is driven by the U.S.'s renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific, which in turn stems from the [Biden administration](pinpointing China as its primary challenger in the global arena. The U.S. Defence Secretary yesterday chose to focus on PM Modi's comments that India was for free navigation and trade and the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific, which sits well with the U.S.'s challenge to China in the region. As [Suhasini Haidar]( points out in [this article]( in The Hindu yesterday, while India may welcome this tougher posturing in the region after the recent clashes with China on the LAC, it has to balance this with other considerations. This includes its geographical proximity to China, the ongoing negotiations on the LAC, and what it may be called to do in the larger Indo-Pacific arena once it is closely aligned with the U.S. These considerations are what make the story important. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Where is Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary situated? 1. Uttar Pradesh 2. Rajasthan 3. Madhya Pradesh 4. Maharashtra To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( The Big Story [NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological concerns]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [India, U.S. resolve to deepen strategic cooperation]( [alt_text]( [NIA takes over probe into Mansukh Hiran’s death]( Profiles [alt_text]( [Yang Jiechi | Eye of the tiger]( [alt_text]( [Vignesh Sundaresan | The nifty bidder]( Literary Review [Rama of Adam’s family:]('Hikayat Seri Rama: The Malay Ramayana' Arshia Sattar Abig[ail Dean's 'Girl A']( Pragati K.B. You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfap36jbf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hkk1@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2021 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](