US banding together with India, like-minded nations to protect sovereignty of Indo-Pacific: Pompeo

The US is "banding together" with nations like India, Australia, Japan and South Korea to ensure that the sovereignty of Indo-Pacific nations are protected and that they are not subjected to any coercion, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

His comments came days after the Indian Navy participated with the navies of the US, the Philippines and Japan in their first joint naval exercise in the disputed South China Sea, where China is flexing its muscle.

Pompeo, in his address to the Claremont Institute's 40th Anniversary Gala in Beverly Hills, California, said: "We are banding together with the like-minded nations like Australia, India, Japan and South Korea to make sure that each Indo-Pacific nation can protect its sovereignty from coercion".

"It's part of a greater commitment to a free and open order. You all know this: The distinctive mark of western civilization is the belief in the inherent worth of human beings, with the attendant respect for god-authored rights and ...