US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan begins two-day visit to India

Earlier this year, Sullivan had called off planned visits to India twice because of the US administration’s preoccupation with the Israel-Hamas conflict

US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan began a two-day visit to India on Monday with a meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, during which the two sides discussed bilateral, regional and global issues.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan in Delhi on Monday. (PTI)

Sullivan is visiting New Delhi at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval for a long-pending review of the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). Earlier this year, Sullivan had called off planned visits to India twice because of the US administration’s preoccupation with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Jaishankar said in a post on X after his meeting with Sullivan that the two sides had a “comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues”. He didn’t give details.

“Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term,” Jaishankar said, referring to the new coalition government formed after the recent general election.

Sullivan is accompanied by a delegation of senior US government officials and industry leaders. The two NSAs have regular consultations on bilateral, regional and global issues, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

“The current visit continues their high-level engagement on the robust and multi-faceted agenda of the India-US global strategic partnership,” one of the people cited above said.

Following the launch of the iCET by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Summit in Tokyo in May 2022, the two NSAs have driven a concerted effort to collaborate in selected areas of new and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, defence innovation, space, and advanced telecommunications.

In subsequent meetings, the two sides have included new areas within the iCET framework, including biotechnology, processing technologies for critical minerals and rare earths, digital connectivity and digital public infrastructure, and advanced materials.

Sullivan’s visit will give the NSAs an opportunity to review the progress made so far under iCET and to set new priorities and deliverables, the people said.

On Monday, the two NSAs will discuss bilateral issues and review the India-US partnership, with the focus on regional and global issues of mutual interest. They will also chair the first annual review of iCET with an inter-departmental delegation from both countries.

On Tuesday, the NSAs will address participants at an India-US iCET Roundtable with industry CEOs, which will be organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). This session will be held behind closed doors.

Sullivan is also expected to meet Modi.