US And India

Biden Administration's point person for South and Central Asia will visit India, Sri Lanka and Nepal this week, the first after the November 5 presidential elections. The trip by the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu will be on a visit to the three countries from December 3 to December 10, the State Department said. The visit aims at strengthening cooperation with key partners in South Asia to promote regional prosperity and security, it said. In New Delhi, Lu will support US-India collaboration in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. He will join Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink to lead US participation in the US-India East Asia Consultations. The Consultations, along with separate meetings with senior Indian officials, will provide an opportunity to exchange perspectives on global and regional issues, an official release said. On December 5, Lu will travel to Colombo t

Since 2001, the US has shown a steady and growing demand for goods from India, with imports rising significantly

Elon Musk is expected to announce a Tesla EV manufacturing factory in India during his visit next week

Microsoft chairman says imperative for India, US to cooperate on AI norms

Microsoft chief Satya Nadella on Wednesday pitched for greater cooperation between India and the US on artificial intelligence regulations and other norms. The India-born chairman and chief executive officer of the global tech giant said such a partnership can help in equal distribution of economic growth. AI is a powerful new technology that needs to be "diffused" fast to every corner of the world, Nadella said at an event organised by the company here. "I think it's imperative especially for India and the United States to be able to cooperate, what are the norms, what are the regulations even, instead of fracturing them," Nadella, who is on a two-day visit to the country, said. He was replying to a question on cooperation between the US and India on AI. He also announced that Microsoft will provide 20 lakh people in India with AI skilling opportunities by 2025. Nadella said AI can help boost GDP growth in the country, and called India as one of the highest growth markets.

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said India is in the driving seat of the Quad, while America is in the seat next to it with the corrective steering wheel, and added that it is up to India to "forcefully define" the nature of the diplomatic partnership. Garcetti, speaking here at the 17th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), used a rather unique analogy of 'eating, drinking and sharing a ride together' to explain the different roles of member countries in the Quad. The Quad is a diplomatic partnership between India, the US, Australia, and Japan to deepen economic, diplomatic, and military ties among the four countries. "India is very much in the driver seat of the Quad... may be America is in the next seat with the corrective steering wheel, I think Japan has been an avid navigator from the beginning and Australia is really excited to be back in the car and asking if everybody has enough to drink and eat, and where we are going. "So it is a great time and we love these

America's partnership with India is among the most consequential ones, the Biden administration said Thursday hours after it notified the Congress of its decision to sell 31 armed drones to India at an estimated cost of nearly USD 4 billion. "I would say that our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We work closely with India on our most vital priorities," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference. "We have had a close working relationship with the (outgoing Indian) ambassador (Taranjit Singh Sandhu), have been able to work with him on a number of those shared priorities, including the crucial role India plays in ensuring a free open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient," Miller said. "We wish him well in his future endeavours and look forward to welcoming his replacement," he said. In response to a question, Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a close working

The US State Secretary further said that the US is more closely aligned than ever with the G7, with the EU, and with other allies and partners on the challenges presented by Beijing

The relationship between India and the US has moved in a positive direction ranging from trade to defence and the two nations have shown a sense of deep understating of each other's differences, the head of a top India-centric business and strategic group has said. Mukesh Aghi, CEO of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said that there is more alignment between the two countries when it is looked at from the geopolitical QUAD perspective. I think in every aspect we (India-US relationship) have moved in a positive direction. You look at trade, which has gone up. You look at the military exercises, we're doing more and more of those. We also have signed a lot of agreements with the US, especially in defence and space. We have agreed to repair the ships in our ports," Aghi said on Wednesday. "When you look at it from the geopolitical QUAD perspective, there's more alignment between the two countries, Aghi told PTI in an interview. What I see is that 2023 is a year of

The US embassy on Thursday trashed reports that American Ambassador Eric Garcetti alerted his team about possible impact of New Delhi's diplomatic spat with Ottawa on India-US relations. American media outlet The Politico reported that Garcetti also has said the US may need to reduce its contacts with Indian officials for an undefined period of time. "The US embassy dismisses these reports. Ambassador Garcetti is working hard every day to deepen the partnership between the people and governments of the United States and India," a US embassy spokesperson said, when asked about the report. "As his personal engagement and public schedule demonstrates, Ambassador Garcetti and the US Mission to India are working every day to advance the important, strategic, and consequential partnership we have with India," the spokesperson said. The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indi

The Canadian allegations regarding India's involvement in the killing of a pro-Khalistan separatist are "serious" and need to be investigated fully, the White House has said. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. Tensions flared between India and Canada last month following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar. India has angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated". The claims made by Canada were discussed when visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met here last week, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House told reporters at a news conference here. The issue was discussed. We'll certainly leave it to those two countries to talk

India has rejected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegation of India's involvement in the killing of pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, terming it as "absurd and motivated"

Although the duty reduction stems from negotiations between India and the US, the tariff cut will apply to all countries in line with WTO rules

A US court has denied the writ of habeas corpus filed by Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, paving the way for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to issue a certification for him to be extradited to India where he is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. In a major victory for India's fight in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to justice, a US court approved 62-year-old Rana's extradition to India in May. In June this year, Rana, who is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles, filed a writ of habeas corpus challenging the court order that acceded to the request of the US government that the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks accused be extradited to India. The court has denied Tahawwur Rana's petition for writ of habeas corpus by a separate order, Judge Dale S Fischer, United States District Judge, Central District of California, wrote in his order on August 10. However, Rana has filed an appeal

On his first visit to Bengaluru, Hodges is meeting with government officials, scientists, business leaders, & entrepreneurs to underscore the United States & India's strong economic & commercial ties

India has come a long way from receiving US help to meet its food security needs to now becoming an exporter and is extending insights from its remarkable development progress to countries well beyond its borders, a top American diplomat has said. In her address to the US Indo-Pacific Command Chiefs of Defense (CHOD) Conference in Fiji on Wednesday, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said investments in one country can often yield benefits in other nations. She applauded India's efforts to help other countries. Investments we make in one country can often yield benefits in others. Take food security. In India, starting in the 1960s, we worked with scientists and local farmers to develop and distribute high-yield, resilient seeds. Over the next two decades, those seeds helped to increase rice production in India by 50 per cent and wheat production by 230 per cent, ending a cycle of recurring famine and helping kick off a Green ...

The ongoing visit to India of a US Congressional delegation led by Indian American lawmaker Ro Khanna has further solidified deep ties and underscores a unique vision that can serve as a blueprint to advance the bilateral relationship, according to Indian Americans. The four-term Congressman representing Silicon Valley in the House of Representatives, Khanna on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and attended the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Tuesday where the prime minister hoisted the national flag. During his trips to New Delhi and Mumbai, he has met leaders of the civic society, Bollywood superstars, including Amitabh Bachchan, and the opposition leaders. I am happy that elected members of the US Congress are present here today on the occasion of our celebration, Modi said in his Independence Day address. I was honoured to visit Raj Ghat on India's Independence Day to pay my respects to Mahatma Gandhi, one of th

Talks could include 'out-of-court settlement' in some cases

The United States hopes to deepen trade ties with Japan as it fortifies cooperation on economic security with its Asian allies and partners, the top US trade envoy said Wednesday. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai's visit to Tokyo follows a trip to the Philippine capital, Manila, that she said highlighted a newly emerging partnership among the three countries as they build both economic and defence ties. Tai met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to discuss making supply chains more resilient and secure, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Tai also reviewed the status of negotiations on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, a new trade pact proposed by Washington, emphasising the importance of cooperation with Japan, it said. The framework has 13 members, including the US, that account for 40 per cent of global gross domestic product: Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore,

United States Senator Jon Ossoff arrived in India on Tuesday on an eight-day visit to boost bilateral relations between the two countries