Context: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and defence secretary Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi on Monday afternoon for the 2+2 dialogue. The talks will be held on Tuesday. The two sides are expected to explore ways to further bolster bilateral defence ties and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, amidst China flexing its muscles in the strategic region. The visit comes a week before the US presidential election on November 3. The Indian side at the talks will be represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open, and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the region. The holding of the third US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue demonstrates the high-level commitment the two countries provide to shared diplomatic and security objectives, US State Department had said on Sunday.
Avout ‘2+2’ Dialogue

• It is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country. 2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries.
• India holds such talks with Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level but with Japan and the US at the ministerial level.
• With the US this was the second 2+2 meeting (Washington), first was held in New Delhi in September 2018.
• US holds such ministerial dialogues with Australia and Japan also.

Current Scenario

• The 2+2 dialogue comes just three weeks after the foreign ministers of the Quad — or the Quadrilateral Security Framework — met in Tokyo. 
• The dialogue follows India’s first-ever participation, earlier this month, in a meeting of the exclusive Five Eyes grouping that facilitates intelligence-sharing among the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. 
• The Five Eyes meeting in Tokyo was about addressing the tension between the imperatives of law enforcement and the encryption policies of technology companies like Apple and Facebook. 
• A few days ago, Delhi announced the much-awaited expansion of the annual Malabar exercises with the US and Japan to include Australia.

Geopolitical Challenges

• First is the huge military crisis on the northern borders with China that is well into the sixth month. During the UPA years, Delhi avoided closer security ties with the US in deference to Beijing’s sensitivities. In contrast, the Modi government has refused to cede a veto to China over its policy on security cooperation with the US — whether bilateral or in multilateral formats such as the Quad.
• Second is the pandemic. The coronavirus has sharpened the US debate on the dangers of excessive economic interdependence on China. Meanwhile, Delhi has begun to reduce its commercial ties to Beijing in response to the PLA’s Ladakh aggression. This has created the conditions for a new conversation between India and the US on rearranging global supply chains away from China in the so-called Quad Plus conversations that have variously drawn in Brazil, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam.
• Third is the focus on critical technologies like artificial intelligence that promise to transform most aspects of modern life — including security, political economy and social order. Two decades ago, Delhi and Washington focused on resolving the legacy issues surrounding the mid-20th century technologies relating to nuclear weapons and missiles.

Road Ahead

• The purpose of this dialogue is to ensure that we evaluate and consolidate on the gains of last 4 years. China has pushed both nations to hold 2+2 dialogue at this point in time China's hegemonistic attitude is concern for both countries and both countries will be watchfull and will collaborate on this front. Amidst the ongoing pandemic where almost all meetings and bilateral taking place virtually. The visit of the two highest officials of US to India shows the importance of this relationship.