Ahead of PM Modi's Washington visit, India and US hold meet to firm up deliverables in strategic areas

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit 

New Delhi, June 7

India and the US held their first-ever meeting to take forward the strategic technology and trade collaborations envisaged under the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) which was co-chaired by NSAs Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan.

The intention is to line up deliverables ahead of PM Modi’s state visit to the US from June 21 to 24.

Doval, Sullivan agreed on collaboration in six broad segments: Strengthening innovation ecosystems; defense innovation and tech cooperation; resilient semiconductor supply chains; mobility of space, science, technology, engineering and math talent; and next generation telecommunications.

The India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD) held on Tuesday was led by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The US delegation was co-led by Alan Estevez, Under Secretary for Industry and Security in the US Department of Commerce and Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the US Department of State.

“The Dialogue is a key mechanism to take forward the strategic technology and trade collaborations envisaged under the iCET. IUSSTD focused on ways in which both governments can facilitate the development and trade of technologies in critical domains such as semiconductors, space, telecom, quantum, AI, defence, bio-tech and others,” said a statement from the Indian embassy in Washington.

Both sides reviewed the relevant bilateral export control regulations with the objective of building and diversifying resilient supply chains for these strategic technologies. They reviewed ongoing cooperation in multilateral export control regimes and agreed to share best practices. 

The both also agreed to enhance awareness among the industry, academia and other stakeholders about the export control regimes through workshops and other activities. 

They acknowledged that the dialogue would be instrumental to enabling co-production, co-development and enhanced industrial collaborations in critical technologies.

A regular monitoring group will review progress in deepening cooperation in the bilateral high-tech trade and technology partnership. The co-chairs agreed to continue the dialogue with the objective of strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

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