Jaishankar, US NSA vow to boost ties
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar held a wide range of discussions with top officials of the Biden administration including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, US trade representative Katherine Tai and top spy Avril Haines, and members of Congress and business leaders on Thursday, in the first such expansive in-person engagement between the two governments.
The minister said in a tweet, which is deemed as the official statement from the ministry, that he and Sullivan discussed the Indo-pacific region, which is a core areas of cooperation for the two nations bilaterally and multilaterally with their Quad partners Australia and Japan; and Afghanistan, which is one of a few areas of dissonance because of India’s unease over US plans to withdraw all its troops by September 11.
The White House National Security Council said in a statement the two leaders agreed that the two countries “should continue working closely together to address common challenges throughout the Indo-pacific region”. They also agreed that “people-to-people ties, and shared values are the foundation” of the strategic partnership that is “helping to end pandemic, supporting a free and open Indopacific, and providing global leadership on climate change”.
India and the United States are collaborating along with Quad partners Australia and Japan to produce more than 1 billion Covid-19 vaccines for distribution among Indo-pacific countries, as part of an initiative they announced after their first summit level meeting in March.
Jaishankar also “conveyed appreciation” to Sullivan for US “solidarity” in addressing India’s Covid-19 challenge. Sullivan noted that the United States, together with private sector companies and private individuals, had sent $500 million worth of relief to India, which has included oxygen supplies needed direly to hep India tide over a crippling shortage, therapeutics such as Remdesivir and personal protective equipment.
Jaishankar also thanked US Trade Representative Tai at their meeting for her “positive stance”, he said in a tweet, on “IPR issues & support for effective & robust supply chains”.
America’s support for India and South Africa’s proposal at the WTO to temporarily waive intellectual property rights to Covid-19 vaccines to ensure their equitable distribution around the world, which she announced earlier this month, reversing Trump administration’s opposition, has paved the way for other opponents to fall in line as well.
“Our trade, technology & business cooperation are at the core of our strategic partnership. Enhancing them is vital to postcovid economic recovery.” Jaishankar wrote in the tweet.
Trade is a the single most contentious issue in the bilateral relationship. And it has defied resolution across governments in India and the United States. Tai and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal have had some initial discussions, but they didn’t have a crack at some of the key issues.