Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US this month India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD) met to explore avenues for both governments to facilitate the development and trade of technologies in crucial domains.
In the inaugural meeting IUSSTD in Washington DC both sides talked about trade of technologies in different sectors like defence, bio-tech, Artificial Intelligence, space, semiconductors, telecom, quantum, and more. The Dialogue serves as a pivotal mechanism to advance the strategic technology and trade collaborations envisioned under the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
Marking a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship, the Indian delegation was led by Foreign Secretary, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, while the US delegation was co-led by Alan Estevez, Under Secretary for Industry and Security in the US Department of Commerce, and Ambassador Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the US Department of State.
During the meeting, both sides conducted a comprehensive review of the relevant bilateral export control regulations, aiming to establish resilient and diversified supply chains for these strategic technologies. They also discussed ongoing cooperation in multilateral export control regimes and agreed to exchange best practices. Recognizing the importance of raising awareness among industry, academia, and other stakeholders about export control regimes, both delegations committed to organizing workshops and other activities for this purpose.
Both sides agreed that the dialogue would play an important role in enhanced industrial collaborations, co-production, co-development, in critical technologies. A regular monitoring group tasked with reviewing progress in deepening cooperation in the bilateral high-tech trade and technology partnership is going to be set up. Both sides affirmed their commitment to continuing the dialogue, with the overarching goal of strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
This inaugural meeting of the IUSSTD reflects the unique and forward-looking nature of the India-US relationship, highlighting the shared commitment to harnessing critical and emerging technologies for mutual benefit and global progress.