New Delhi: Ahead of US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval here to discuss China among other issues hinted at removing obstacles in defence and high-tech trade.
“As we look ahead to the state visit Prime Minister Modi will be embarking upon in Washington next week… a number of the deliverables at the visit are not just bullet points on a page,” Sullivan said here at the second Track 1.5 dialogue on iCET organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry following his restricted format talks with Doval.
“They are fundamentally designed to remove those obstacles in defence trade, in high-tech trade, in investment in each of our countries, in taking away obstacles that have stood in the way of our scientists and researchers,” Sullivan said.
This includes areas such as research and development, 5G and 6G telecommunication technology, semiconductor supply chains, artificial intelligence, advanced computing and biotechnology, and “specifically on removing barriers to strategic trade”, Sullivan said. Earlier, he also met the PM.
In their restricted format meeting Doval and Sullivan discussed regional and global issues including China. Sullivan’s two-day visit is aimed at giving momentum to Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
The first edition of this dialogue had been organised by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. on January 30. At this meeting, the NSAs expressed satisfaction at the progress made under iCET and encouraged stakeholders to strive for technology value chain partnerships that would lead to co-development and co-production of high technology products and services in both countries.
Speaking at the Dialogue, Doval said that India and the US have made significant progress in ties not only at the government level but also at the industry level. Doval said when in January this year he had gone to Washington and held discussions with Sullivan and members of industry, he was very excited about the idea of technological cooperation. “I was not sure whether the idea will be able to take off. Today, I am much more confident and hopeful. And it is not because of what has happened at the level of the government but because of what the response was at the level of institutions.”
