The US is launching a collection of formidable know-how, area and defence initiatives with India, in an effort designed to counter China within the Indo-Pacific and wean New Delhi off its reliance on Russia for weapons.

US nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval met in Washington on Tuesday as the 2 nations unveiled co-operation in quite a few areas, together with quantum computing, synthetic intelligence, 5G wi-fi networks and semiconductors. They additionally created a mechanism to facilitate joint weapons manufacturing.

The Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies marks the newest transfer by US president Joe Biden to work more closely with allies and companions to counter China. It follows an settlement between Biden and India’s prime minister Narendra Modi to create the initiative after they met in Tokyo in May 2022.

“It is really a strategic bet by the two leaders . . . that creating a deeper ecosystem between the US and India will serve the strategic, economic and technological interests of both countries,” Sullivan mentioned.

Sullivan mentioned the initiative was a part of Biden’s technique to boost ties with allies and companions throughout the Indo-Pacific, citing the Aukus submarine pact with Australia and the UK, and the resurrection of the “Quad” — a safety grouping of the US, Japan, Australia and India.

“This is another big foundational piece of an overall strategy to put the entire democratic world in the Indo-Pacific in a position of strength,” he mentioned.

One US official mentioned the know-how initiative, coupled with different actions, meant that 2023 would “probably be the most consequential year in US-India diplomacy”, including that India was “the key” to US ambitions within the area.

He mentioned that India was aligning extra with the US due to its tense relations with China, significantly after lethal border clashes within the Galwan Valley in 2020. “The Indians don’t advertise this . . . but it had a kind of 9/11, Pearl Harbor-style impact on the strategic thinking of their elites.”

Sullivan mentioned the initiative didn’t recommend a elementary shift in India’s geopolitical orientation, however careworn that it underscored the affect that adverse Chinese behaviour was having on nations world wide.

“Its economic practices, its aggressive military moves, its efforts to dominate the industries of the future and to control the supply chains of the future, have had a profound impact on the thinking in Delhi,” he mentioned.

Tanvi Madan, an India professional on the Brookings Institution, mentioned the initiative was a “significant investment” within the relationship that underscored a rising strategic realignment. But she identified that whereas India had a conventional coverage of “non-alignment” with most nations, that utilized much less to China.

India has been making an attempt to spice up its homegrown technology capability over considerations about China’s lead in key sectors. It is making an attempt to construct a chip trade and promote rising sectors the place it trails Beijing, together with electrical autos and telecoms. Indian officers need Apple, Samsung and different overseas multinationals to take a position extra within the nation as they diversify provide chains away from China.

The India objectives dovetail with the US’s want to spice up co-operation to higher compete with China and to allow like-minded democracies to set vital know-how requirements.

Sullivan mentioned the White House would work with Congress to make it simpler to draw science and know-how expertise from India, which is necessary because the US embarks on an effort to revitalise its home chip trade.

Another senior official mentioned the US and India would ask semiconductor associations in each nations to work collectively to establish areas for joint funding. He mentioned the administration would work with Congress to get rid of regulatory hurdles that, for instance, stop the export of high-performance computing know-how to India.

“The president and the White House have a view that many of the legacy [technology transfer] restrictions relative to India made sense in their time but make less sense in the year 2023,” Sullivan mentioned.

The efforts to collectively develop weapons will initially give attention to jet engines, artillery techniques and armoured infantry autos. Sullivan mentioned General Electric had submitted a proposal to the US authorities to collectively construct engines.

The assembly between the nationwide safety advisers got here as a big group of US and Indian chief executives and senior leaders met to debate methods to boost joint public-private partnerships. The corporations included Micron, Lockheed Martin and Applied Materials from the US, in addition to Reliance Industries, Adani Defence & Aerospace and ArcelorMittal from India.

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