India and US announced an unprecedented collaboration to establish a futuristic semiconductor plant in India aimed at advancing national security for both countries.
The agreement for the fabrication plant, hailed as a “watershed arrangement” between the two sides, came after what officials described as a “personal” and “emotional” farewell meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the latter’s private residence in Delaware. A joint fact sheet issued after the meeting said the fabrication plant will be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission and a strategic technology partnership between the US Space Force and the private sector 3rdiTech and Bharat Semi.
The “fab”, with the objective of manufacturing infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors, will focus on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next-gen telecom, and green energy applications.
The collaboration will be a giant leap for two countries that have made rapid progress in defense and strategic ties, overriding the last remnants of residual and institutional doubts about sharing advanced, critical, dual-use technology. In a clear indication that there is an “India exception” to this, the fact sheet states that Biden and Modi “directed their governments to redouble efforts to address export controls, enhance high technology commerce, and reduce barriers to technology transfer between our two countries, while addressing technology security, including through the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue”.
297 stolen antiquities to be returned
In a significant development during PM Modi’s visit to the US, the Biden administration has facilitated the return of 297 stolen or trafficked antiquities to India.
The antiquities that will be soon repatriated to India belong to the time period spanning almost 4,000 years -from 2000 BCE to 1900 CE - and have origins in different parts of the country.
In a symbolic handover, a few select pieces were showcased to Modi and Biden on the sidelines of their bilateral meeting.
According to a PMO statement, a majority of the antiquities are terracotta artefacts from eastern India while others are made of stone, metal, wood and ivory, and belong to different parts of the country. The PM wrote on X, “Deepening cultural connect and strengthening the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural properties. I am extremely grateful to President Biden and the US government for ensuring the return of 297 invaluable antiquities to India.”
According to the statement, Modi thanked Biden for his support in the return of these artefacts, and noted that these objects were not just part of India’s historical material culture but also formed the inner core of its civilization and consciousness.
