US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday evening. During the meeting, Modi assured him that India was committed to the India- U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
“Met US National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46. India is committed to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for global good,” Modi posted on X after the meeting.
Met US National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46. India is committed to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for global good. pic.twitter.com/A3nJHzPjKe
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2024
Sullivan, the first senior US official to visit India after Modi took oath for the third consecutive term on June 10, is on a two-day visit to chair the second meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval.
Earlier, Sullivan also met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who expressed confidence that the strategic partnership between India and the US will continue to advance strongly.
Sullivan’s visit also comes at a time when India-US ties are going through a bit of a rough patch particularly over American charges that India was behind an alleged assassination plot against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The U.S. NSA’s India visit coincides with the seventh annual leadership summit of the U.S-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington.
The iCET, launched about 17 months ago, aims to deepen and expand the strategic cooperation across key technology sectors including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy.
During their meeting, Doval and Sullivan resolved to prevent the leakage of sensitive and dual-use technologies to countries of concern, a clear reference to Russia.
An industry roundtable with CEOs and thought leaders from both countries is aimed at mobilizing private sector investment and partnerships across strategic technology sectors.
Sources said Doval and Sullivan had a very productive meeting, and they resolved to support enhanced collaboration in critical areas and step up civilian and defence space technology cooperation.
As part of this effort, they agreed to unlock a combined $90+ million in U.S. and Indian government funding over the next five years for the India-U.S. Global Challenges Institute.
This will cover areas of semiconductor technology and manufacturing; sustainable agriculture and food security; clean energy; healthy equity and pandemic preparedness, and other critical and emerging technologies.
The collaboration will also lead to the selection of the first tranche of funding awards between the National Science Foundation and the Indian Department of Science and Technology totaling nearly $5 million.
They also noted the launch of the inaugural “Innovation Handshake” between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Indian Ministry of Commerce in November 2023 to address regulatory barriers for startups entering the U.S. and India markets. Apart from this, they celebrated the second Innovation Handshake event in India in March 2024.
Other promising areas of collaboration include securing a carrier for the first-ever joint effort between NASA and ISRO astronauts at the International Space Station and working toward commencing advanced training for ISRO astronauts at the NASA Johnson Space Center.
The two sides will also prepare for the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, a jointly developed satellite.
India and U.S. will also join hands to strengthening defense space cooperation, explore opportunities for India’s participation in the Lunar Gateway Program, space technologies and deepening defense innovation and industrial cooperation
Both sides will focus on cooperation between the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit and India’s Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX). They also noted progress in negotiations between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the co-production of GE F414-INS6 engines to power India’s future fighter fleet.
India and U.S. will pursue advanced telecommunications opportunities and strengthen cooperation in 6G technologies, and combine capabilities in biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
Other areas of collaboration include expanding engagement with Indian and U.S. investors in the semiconductor industry in India and building a Clean Energy and a Critical Minerals Partnership for the 21st Century.
The two sides also agreed to establish an India-U.S. Advanced Materials R& D Forum on the margins of the India-U.S. Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology.
The two countries are also aiming to build a collaborative programme between the Geological Survey of India and the U.S. Geological Survey on exploration, characterization and evaluation of rare earth elements and critical mineral deposits.
