Editorial 1 : US and India: Old friends in a changing world
Recent Context:
- Recently India Prime minister had official visit to USA and during the visit new pacts were signed that shows the strengthen relation between both the countries.
- As, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the US Congress a second time, and talking to the Indian diaspora represent that US-India relations are deepening and widening.
Factors which shape the relations of both the nations:
- China factor: China factor may be the most important one for the current affability.
- China’s meteoric rise on the economic front over the last four and half decades, with accompanying military power, is being seen as a threat to global security by many nations.
- And the QUAD comprising Australia, Japan, India, and the US is one such forum for the process. The current US-India friendship is only an extension of that at a bilateral level.
- This makes one thing clear: As nations become rich, they need to be responsible towards global peace and welfare.
- The growing economy of India:
- There is no doubt that the US has been a superpower both in economic terms as well as in its military might for quite some time.
- As per the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the US economy in April 2023 stood at $26.6 trillion with a per capita GDP of $80,000 at current prices. In comparison to that, India is way behind with an overall GDP of $3.74 trillion and a per capita GDP of just $2,600
- In PPP terms, however, India’s GDP improved to $13 trillion and its per capita GDP to about $9,000.
- Thus, the dollar-to-PPP conversion factor is roughly 3.5, which in simple terms means that a dollar in India can buy roughly 3.5 times more goods and services than in the US.
- Therefore, the difference between the US and Indian economies and the welfare of their people narrows when we look at these indicators in PPP terms rather than current US dollars.
A healthy trilateral relation is good for world peace and prosperity:
- For world peace and prosperity, it would be best if the three countries can work together. But the foundation of any friendship and working together is trust, which requires transparency in behaviour and actions as per the agreed rules of the game.
- And it is here that the political system of democracy wins over authoritarian regimes. Not that democracy is without its flaws, be it in the US or India, but it is certainly better than military or authoritarian regimes.
Balancing the relation between Russia and USA:
- After the Ukraine-Russia conflict, global powers are realigning into new groupings.
- India has a tough task of walking a very tightrope between Russia and the US. One can only hope that Prime Minister Modi can calibrate this balancing act and bring dialogue and diplomacy to resolve strong differences, and not be part of the ever-widening chasm which can be suicidal to the existence of humanity on this planet.
India-US has wide areas of cooperation:
- Both the nations have cooperation in defence, space and high-tech chip-making may just be the beginning. The potential in many other sectors is enormous.
- India’s pitch for inclusive and sustainable growth has to be seen in that context. As India’s voice for the growth that has to be pro-people and pro-planet is clear and commendable. Therefore, it includes the African Union in the G-20 grouping.
- In defence and technology
- Recently, India and US signde $3 billion deal for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs
- Another major announcement that came was an MoU signed between GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force.
- Climate change and food security:
- Along with it, for the eight billion people on this planet, food and nutritional security is of equal importance, if not more. This is being threatened by climate change with increasing temperatures.
- India is given its large population of 1.4 billion. The US is at the forefront of technologies not just in defence, space, and semiconductors but also in agriculture.
- One may recall that in the 1960s when India was struggling to feed its fast-growing population, several state agricultural universities were opened with the support and mentoring of their counterparts in the US.
- These universities were instrumental in shaping India’s Green Revolution, although the initial seeds of high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice came from outside
- Both the nations can further rejuvenate agricultural universities with cutting-edge technologies and policies to cope with climate change and produce more nutritious food with less land, less water, and less GHG emissions
Way forward:
- US-India collaboration, there will be a special attempt to include food and agriculture as one of the core areas of cooperation. It has the potential to do good to the maximum number of people in the developing world, be it in Asia or Africa.
- Therefore, India-USA stand at a new dawn of relationship that will not only shape the destiny of two nations but also that of the world.
Editorial 2 : What US, India have agreed on: Tech and defence partnerships, initiatives on visas and education
Recent context:
- On the recent official visit of Indian Prime minister
- The Joint Statement issued by India and the United States affirmed a vision of the two countries as “among the closest partners in the world a partnership of democracies looking into the 21st century with hope, ambition, and confidence”.
- The Joint Statement affirmed that “no corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries, which spans the seas to the stars”
Major areas of Cooperation between India-US:
Technology partnership
- Strengthening semiconductor supply chains: Micron Technology, with support from the India Semiconductor Mission, will invest more than $800 million toward a new $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India.
- Applied Materials will build a Semiconductor Centre for Commercialization and Innovation in India to strengthen the two nations’ semiconductor supply chain diversification.
- It is expected to accelerate India’s semiconductor education and workforce development goals.
- Critical Minerals Partnership:
- India has become the newest partner of the US-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) that has been established to accelerate the development of diverse and sustainable critical energy minerals supply chains globally.
- The MSP, which started in june 2022, has 12 other partner countries, plus the European Union. India’s Epsilon Carbon Limited will invest $650 million in a greenfield electric vehicle battery component factory, which will be the largest ever Indian investment in the US electric vehicle battery industry.
- Advanced Telecommunications:
- India and the US have launched public-private Joint Task Forces on the development and deployment of Open RAN systems and on advanced telecoms research and development.
- India’s Bharat 6G and the US Next G Alliance will co-lead this public-private research. This work will reduce costs, increase security, and improve resiliency of telecommunication networks.
- NASA-ISRO collaboration in space:
- India has signed the Artemis Accords, joining 26 other countries committed to peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
- NASA will provide advanced training to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) astronauts with the goal of launching a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.
- NASA and ISRO are also developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023.
- Quantum, Advanced Computing, and Artificial Intelligence: The two countries have established a Joint Indo-US Quantum Coordination Mechanism to facilitate joint research between the public and private sectors across the two countries.
- Both nations has signed an implanting arrangement to support joint research on quantum, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and advanced wireless technologies.
- Innovation Handshake: To support the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), the US-India Commercial Dialogue will launch a new “Innovation Handshake” to connect the startup ecosystems of the two countries.
- Fiber Optics Investments: India’s Sterlite Technologies Limited has invested $100 million in the construction of an optical fibre cable manufacturing unit near Columbia, South Carolina, which will facilitate $150 million in annual exports of optical fibre from India.
Defence partnership Between both the nations:
- GE F414 Engine Co-Production:
- The Joint Statement welcomed the groundbreaking proposal by General Electric to jointly produce the F414 jet engine in India.
- GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have signed a MoU, and a manufacturing licence agreement has been submitted for Congressional Notification.
- The first-of-its-kind initiative to manufacture F414 engines in India will enable greater transfer of US jet engine technology than ever before.
- General Atomics MQ-9Bs:
- India intends to procure armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAVs. The drones will increase India’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
- Service and repair of US Navy ships:
- The US Navy has concluded a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with Larsen and Toubro Shipyard in Kattupalli (Chennai) and is finalizing agreements with Mazagon Dock Limited (Mumbai) and Goa Shipyard (Goa).
- These agreements will allow mid-voyage US Navy ships to undergo service and repair at Indian shipyards.
- Defence “Innovation Bridge”:
- The India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) — a network of university, incubator, corporate, think tank, and private investment stakeholders was inaugurated on June 21, 2023.
- This programme will facilitate joint innovation on defence technologies and accelerate the integration of India’s private sector defence industry with the US defence sector.
People-centric efforts
- The Joint Statement mentions initiatives on visas and student exchanges. It also refers to the historic aviation deal between Air India and Boeing to acquire more than 200 American-made aircraft, and the efforts to resolve trade issues between the two countries.
Domestic visa renewals:
- The State Department will launch a pilot this year to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas, including for Indian nationals, who will no longer be required to leave the country for renewal in eligible categories.
- This will be implemented for an expanded pool of H1B and L visa holders in 2024, with the aim of broadening the programme to include other eligible categories.
Conclusion:
- This multiple areas of cooperation between both the nations shapes the new height in relation India- USA relation which is going to play a crucial role in further reshaping the relations between the two countries.