Climate, terrorism in focus at 2+2 dialogue
WASHINGTON: Even as the focus of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue was on the situation in Ukraine and its consequences, as well as shared Indian and American interests in the Indo-Pacific, both in their remarks and the joint statement, the two countries focused on a range of other issues that will have an impact on their bilateral relationship.
Climate
During his opening remarks at the press conference after the dialogue, US secretary of state Antony J Blinken said that both countries were working together to tackle the climate crisis, and that the US is supporting India’s ambitious COP26 clean energy commitments “by investing in renewable energy projects and mobilising private sector financing”.
In what appeared to be an acknowledgment of India’s policy position of common but differentiated responsibilities, taking into account historic emissions, Blinken later said that the US was committed to partner in India’s clean energy transition. “We have a responsibility – a historic responsibility as well as a current responsibility – in trying to make sure that we are helping to make available the technology, the financing, the support to help countries make that transition to adapt, to build resilience in dealing with climate change, and making sure that adequate supplies of energy are reaching their people.”
The joint statement said that the ministers had commended the engagement under the India-US climate and clean energy agenda 2030 partnership, and committed to working together for exchange of best practices, development of technology transfers to enable clean and emerging energy technologies, “including the commercialization and scaling up of battery storage, offshore wing, green hydrogen and rooftop solar technology in India”.
Blinken also mentioned the Quad working group on climate that is partnering on green shipping corridors and green tech, and a $500-million loan by the US’s Development Finance Corporation to First Solar to produce solar panel modules in south India as among the initiatives in this regard. External affairs minister S Jaishankar said that climate cooperation was underscored by the US joining the International Solar Alliance and cochairing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
Terrorism
Both India and the US have also “strongly condemned any use of terrorist proxies and cross-border terrorism in all its forms” and called for the perpetrators of 26/11 and Pathankot attacks to be brought to justice. In the joint statement, India and the US called for concerted action against all terrorist groups – listing out al Qaeda, Islamic State, Lashkar-eTaiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen.
At a time when there has just been a shift in power equations in Pakistan, the two countries have called on Pakistan to take “immediate, sustained and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for terrorist attacks”. They also emphasised the importance of upholding international standards on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism by all countries – which is significant since the listing by the Financial Action Task Force has been a key source of pressure on Pakistan in recent years.
Economy
India and the US recognised that economic cooperation was a key pillar of the relationship, and lauded the increase in bilateral trade in goods to $113 billion in 2021, and the US recognised recent Indian economic reforms “which help improve the ease of doing business”, as well as efforts to accelerate the start-up and innovation sectors, in which US private capital has been a huge investor in the past year.
A broad trade deal has eluded the two sides, even as India has accelerated its trade partnerships with the United Arab Emirates and Australia with formal pacts and is in the middle of negotiations with a range of other countries. The joint statement did not specifically refer to a potential agreement, but spoke of developing specific action plans “to identify and prioritise the resolution of specific trade concerns”.
Over the years, the US, prodded by key American businesses, has flagged what it sees as an absence of a strong intellectual property mechanism, price controls on medical devices, tariff/non-tariff and technical barriers and digital protectionism in India, and demanded greater market access in agriculture, besides integrating labour and environmental issues with trade.
For its part, India has sought restoration of benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences, a lighter US regulatory touch, greater mobility of labour, and greater market access for products where it has an advantage. The ministers also flagged the need for a predictable business environment to facilitate investments, and agreed to reconvene the India-US commercial forum and CEO forum this year.
INDIA AND THE U.S. HAVE CALLED ON PAKISTAN TO TAKE ‘IRREVERSIBLE ACTION TO ENSURE NO TERRITORY UNDER ITS CONTROL IS USED FOR TERRORIST ATTACKS’
Education and people-to-people ties
While there has been, organically, a vibrant engagement between the two sides on education – there are over 200,000 Indian students in the US – there is now a greater government-led push from both sides to deepen higher education collaboration. India and the US have decided to set up a joint working group on education and skills development – an initiative that minister Jaishankar and secretary Blinken are expected to speak on during an interaction at Howard University in Washington DC later on Tuesday.