iCET and TTC open a range of opportunities for India
This past week was marked by two important developments in India’s new-age technology and trade partnerships with some of the most powerful geographies. The first was timeline bound, outcome-oriented framework, on emerging and critical technologies between India and the US. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval travelled to US for three days, discussing and cementing the high-level understanding announced first by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad conference in Tokyo in May 2022. The Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) is a giant step for India-US strategic technology and defence partnership, after being on ice for several decades, due to each nation’s domestic eco-political pivots.
A fact-sheet released post the meeting of Indian and US national security advisors stated, “The United States and India affirm that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used should be shaped by our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights. We are committed to fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem, based on mutual trust and confidence, that will reinforce our democratic values and democratic institutions.”
This is a first in India-US strategic ties, as both have in their own ways been singed by muscular China, trying to bare its fangs (not to mention fly balloons with spy craft) at the first opportunity. Both nations realise the need to join forces, find commonalities, and move ahead with a mutually acceptable framework for challenging the technology and military might of China. The iCET launched several outcome-driven bilateral initiatives under several areas of mutual interests, i.e., the innovations ecosystem, defence innovation and technology cooperation, resilient semiconductor supply chains, space, science & technology, engineering, and math talent and skilling, and next-generation telecommunications technology. All these areas are of critical importance in the new geopolitical strategic space. The US has promised to expedite the approval process for GE to start the technology transfer process. This has the potential of attracting heavy investments.
It also helps India gradually steer away from Russia aided defence equipment and technology, and be more in sync with the western allies. The other significant outcome was India and the US committing to increase cooperation, R&D in emerging telecommunications technology such as 5G and 6G and fostering global economies of scale in the sector. This is a clear signal from two democracies with fairly developed telecommunications networks, to further deepen and develop new standards, technology solutions, in a domain, which is currently dominated by China.
A similar language is reflected in the semiconductor space where both sides, while individually pushing for indigenous development, design and fabrication of semiconductors, have also vowed to work towards long term development of semiconductor ecosystems. The second key development in India’s technology partnership came in the setting up of the new India-EU Technology and Trade Council (TTC), as a follow up to the announcement by the President of European Commission and PM Modi in the spring of 2022. In a marked departure from reluctance on both sides, EU and India agreed to work in a time-bound manner on areas of common interest such as security, prosperity and sustainable development related to connectivity, green technologies and resilient supply chains. This TTC with India is the second (after the US) such forum where the EU has got into a structured, regular dialogue with an important partner. Taken together the iCET and TTC with the EU open a whole new range of opportunities for India to truly arrive its centenary year celebrations with huge panache.
(The author is a foreign affairs commentator)
