India and Australia set to hold talks to boost defense and strategic ties

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Australia are set to hold talks focused on bolstering their strategic, defense and security ties in New Delhi. Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong and defence minister Richard Marles arrived to meet Monday with their counterparts for the second India-Australia 2+2 Dialogue, where they’re expected to discuss regional and global issues, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The talks come a few weeks after India hosted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin in New Delhi. India and Australia are also part of the Quad, an alliance that includes Japan and the United States, which aims to counter China’s rising influence in Asia.