washington [US], The United States and India on Tuesday formally established a high-level Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, or ICET. India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held “fruitful discussions” with his American counterpart at the White House. The discussions focused on aligning the strategic, commercial and scientific approaches of Washington and New Delhi, particularly in the area of technology. Officials had announced several concrete steps that the initiative would take ahead of the high-powered meeting in Washington.
According to The Washington Post, Jake Sullivan said in an interview with reporters that the iCET `will serve the deeper strategic interests of both countries.
ICET has no clear reference to China, but the Biden administration sees technology development with China as a zero-sum game that the US cannot lose so ICET could be an important way forward .
“The US-India Defense and Artificial Intelligence Dialogue is a multi-pronged approach and China is one of the dimensions because it poses a major challenge to New Delhi and the world,” a senior administration official told reporters in Washington.
Asked if there were any geopolitical concerns about China and Russia, Sullivan said, “A big part of the story is basically about betting on high technology and an industrial innovation policy. It’s about the President’s is at the core of the whole approach.” His presidency. So the Sino-Russia factor is real, but so is the idea of building a deep democratic ecosystem with high technology.”
Sullivan acknowledged the geopolitical dimension of the initiative, saying, “A backdrop of geopolitical competition with China has characterized US-India relations for more than a decade.”
“There’s a lot about the rise of India and America’s desire to participate in that rise. That’s important with respect to China. I think they’ve proven themselves time and time again to be a challenge to India and the world.” Have done.” And I think working together with like-minded countries is a beneficial and necessary part of our Indo-Pacific strategy,” the official added.
A key element of the initiative is semiconductor supply chain diversification, the US announced that it plans to help India enhance its legacy chip-making capabilities by continuing the flow of top engineers studying and working in the United States, Sullivan said.
On Washington’s position on India’s semiconductor industry, senior administration officials said the US supports the Indian National Semiconductor Mission.
“We welcome the supply chain diversification it will bring, as well as the opportunities for research and development, collaboration and exchange of talent. This adds to our view of India playing a larger role in the global semiconductor ecosystem and value series. It is true that the United States controls some of the most advanced chips for AI applications,” he said.