India, US agree to do away with trade barriers

US national security advisor Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval committed “concrete action” in the coming months against long-standing barriers to strategic trade, technology and industrial cooperation, while pledging to prevent leakage of sensitive technologies to countries of concern, in what was the first high-level engagement between the two countries since the return of NDA govt this month.
Sullivan arrived in India Monday to undertake a comprehensive review of cooperation under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) with Doval. The initiative is expected to propel the relationship to the next level by removing regulatory barriers and developing a new defence industrial road map for joint development and production.
Sullivan also held talks with foreign minister S Jaishankar and called on PM Modi who on X said that India remains committed to strengthening the India-US partnership for global good. Sullivan briefed him on the progress in iCET cooperation in areas like AI, semiconductors, defence and space. In the meeting, Modi expressed satisfaction at the speed and scale of the growing partnership and the convergence on regional and global issues.
The NSAs exchanged views also on issues like the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in Gaza. According to a joint fact sheet issued after the meeting, Doval and Sullivan, in what was their second iCET talks, underscored the vital importance of adapting their “technology protection toolkits” and resolved to prevent leakage of sensitive and dual-use technologies to countries of concern.
Sullivan also stressed the need for continued efforts, particularly under the Strategic Trade Dialogue, to address outstanding barriers to technology collaboration.