India and the White House have officially launched a partnership that they hope will help them compete with China in the fields of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and military equipment. [ AI].
According to a statement released by the White House on Tuesday, “The United States and India affirm that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used should be shaped by our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights.”
“We are committed to fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem that is based on mutual trust and confidence and will strengthen our democratic values and democratic institutions,” the statement reads.
To counter China’s Huawei Technologies, Washington wants to expand Western mobile phone networks in the subcontinent, welcome more Indian computer chip specialists to the United States, and encourage businesses from both countries to work together on military equipment like artillery systems.
Both India’s long-standing reliance on Moscow for military hardware and the United States’ restrictions on the transfer of military technology and visas for immigrant workers present challenges for the White House.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, and Ajit Doval, his Indian counterpart, launched the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies [iCET] at the White House on Tuesday.
“Our strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of our two countries” will be elevated and expanded through the iCET, which President Biden and Prime Minister Modi will announce in May 2022.
According to Sullivan, “the greater challenge posed by China — 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.”
“It’s a strategic bet by the two leaders that creating a deeper ecosystem between the United States and India will serve our strategic, economic, and technological interests.” “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.”
Asian engagement project
Washington has been irritated by New Delhi’s participation in military exercises with Russia and its increased purchases of Russia’s crude oil, a major source of funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, Washington has held its tongue, encouraging India’s more hawkish stance on China while pushing the country toward Russia.
India is a participant in the Biden administration’s signature Asian engagement project, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), but it has chosen not to participate in the IPEF trade pillar negotiations. On Monday, Sullivan and Doval attended a Chamber of Commerce event alongside corporate leaders from Lockheed Martin Corp., Adani Enterprises, and Applied Materials Inc.
A joint effort on space and high-performance quantum computing is also part of the initiative.
The White House claims that a review is underway and that General Electric Co. is requesting permission from the US government to produce jet engines with India that would power Indian-operated and produced aircraft.
Source: Reuters