Oxon Hill:

The relationship between India and the US is not just “addictive”, it is “multiplicative”, US envoy to India Eric Garcetti has said.

Garcetti also said that the relationship between the two countries has never been so good. The Indian-American community is the most successful immigrant community in America.

He made these remarks on Monday at an event on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit, to which the largest delegation is from India.

“This (India US) is a relationship that isn’t just additive. It’s not just the US plus India. It’s multiplicative. It’s the United States times India,” Garcetti said on the sidelines of the summit, to which the largest delegation is from India.

The SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event in the US to facilitate business investment by connecting thousands of investors, companies, economic development organisations (EDOs), and industry experts to make deals happen.

Garcetti was speaking at the event wherein India’s JSW Steel announced its plans to invest USD 140 million in Bayton, Texas.

“Now, Americans are getting more and more familiar with Indian brands and Indian companies… Together we’re investing in third countries, infrastructure, energy, climate solutions, empowering tomorrow’s prosperity,” Garcetti said as he announced investment from JW Steel in Texas.

“We are so excited that JSW Steel is announcing a USD 140 million investment in America, in Baytown, in Texas. JSW is one of the largest Indian investors in the United States, investing more than USD 2 billion here in this country, in Texas and in Ohio. They have seen tremendous return on their investment,” he said. This FDI would result in jobs for more than 800 American workers.

Garcetti also said that the relationship between India and the US has never been so good.

“We’ve never had a closer relationship with India. Americans of Indian descent are now about 1.5% of our population. And pay six per cent of the taxes in America. It is the most successful immigrant community in America,” he said.

“While the story used to be about American companies going to India to invest, which we still do,… increasingly we’re seeing this two-way street, a bridge in the Indo-pacific coming from India into the United States, savings steel mills, looking at mines that have been shut down, investing in electrolytes for electric vehicles of the future, the services, the health care,” Garcetti said.

Diane Farrell, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, from the Department of Commerce said India has the largest country delegation to the SelectUSA Investment Summit.

Divyakumar Bhair, Board Member, JSW Steel USA said that these investments would go into manufacturing high-end steel plates which are used for offshore wind, monopile, transition pieces, and towers.

“This will not only help realise the dream of clean energy for the generations to come in the United States but will also catalyse the local economies of Texas,” he said. JSW USA is part of the diversified USD 24 billion JSW Group. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Oxon Hill:

The relationship between India and the US is not just “addictive”, it is “multiplicative”, US envoy to India Eric Garcetti has said.

Garcetti also said that the relationship between the two countries has never been so good. The Indian-American community is the most successful immigrant community in America.

He made these remarks on Monday at an event on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit, to which the largest delegation is from India.

“This (India US) is a relationship that isn’t just additive. It’s not just the US plus India. It’s multiplicative. It’s the United States times India,” Garcetti said on the sidelines of the summit, to which the largest delegation is from India.

The SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event in the US to facilitate business investment by connecting thousands of investors, companies, economic development organisations (EDOs), and industry experts to make deals happen.

Garcetti was speaking at the event wherein India’s JSW Steel announced its plans to invest USD 140 million in Bayton, Texas.

“Now, Americans are getting more and more familiar with Indian brands and Indian companies… Together we’re investing in third countries, infrastructure, energy, climate solutions, empowering tomorrow’s prosperity,” Garcetti said as he announced investment from JW Steel in Texas.

“We are so excited that JSW Steel is announcing a USD 140 million investment in America, in Baytown, in Texas. JSW is one of the largest Indian investors in the United States, investing more than USD 2 billion here in this country, in Texas and in Ohio. They have seen tremendous return on their investment,” he said. This FDI would result in jobs for more than 800 American workers.

Garcetti also said that the relationship between India and the US has never been so good.

“We’ve never had a closer relationship with India. Americans of Indian descent are now about 1.5% of our population. And pay six per cent of the taxes in America. It is the most successful immigrant community in America,” he said.

“While the story used to be about American companies going to India to invest, which we still do,… increasingly we’re seeing this two-way street, a bridge in the Indo-pacific coming from India into the United States, savings steel mills, looking at mines that have been shut down, investing in electrolytes for electric vehicles of the future, the services, the health care,” Garcetti said.

Diane Farrell, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, from the Department of Commerce said India has the largest country delegation to the SelectUSA Investment Summit.

Divyakumar Bhair, Board Member, JSW Steel USA said that these investments would go into manufacturing high-end steel plates which are used for offshore wind, monopile, transition pieces, and towers.

“This will not only help realise the dream of clean energy for the generations to come in the United States but will also catalyse the local economies of Texas,” he said. JSW USA is part of the diversified USD 24 billion JSW Group. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The two ministers discussed the recently launched India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and India’s G20 presidency. They also discussed, as per the readout, cooperation in defence, space and clean energy in the context of the upcoming ‘2+2’ dialogue between the countries’ finance and defence ministers, the next session of which will be held in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

In describing the meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the U.S. State Department stayed clear of any mention of the discord between India and Canada. Neither minister mentioned the issue explicitly while characterising their conversation.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made an explosive allegation on September 18 that Indian Government agents had killed a Canadian Khalistani separatist , Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia earlier this year. India has denied any involvement in the slaying.

On Thursday, Mr. Jaishankar said that he had “exchanged notes on global developments” with Mr. Blinken and the State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller’s readout of the meeting said that the two ministers had discussed “ a full range of issues”.

The two ministers discussed the recently launched India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and India’s G20 presidency. They also discussed, as per the readout, cooperation in defence, space and clean energy in the context of the upcoming ‘2+2’ dialogue between the countries’ finance and defence ministers, the next session of which will be held in New Delhi.

Notwithstanding the State Department readout’s wording, U.S. officials have publicly encouraged the government to cooperate with the Canadian investigation.

‘The Americans have been with us’ : Trudeau

“The Americans have been with us in speaking to the Indian government about how important it is that they be involved in following up on the credible allegations that agents of the Indian government killed a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil,” Mr. Trudeau was heard saying on Thursday, in a CTV clip of his press conference in Quebec. The U.S. and Canada are neighbours as well as allies, including via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Five Eyes intelligence partnership.

“This is something that all democratic countries, all countries that respect the rule, need to take seriously and we are moving forward in a thoughtful, responsible way, anchored in the rule of law with all of our partners, including in our approach with the Government of India,” Mr. Trudeau said.

Asked about his view on Mr. Blinken going ahead with the meeting with Mr. Jaishankar , despite the allegations against New Delhi Mr. Trudeau described India as a “growing economic power” and “important geopolitical player” and said it was “extremely important” that everyone continue to “engage constructively and seriously” with the Government of India. Citing Canada’s Indo Pacific Strategy, Mr. Trudeau said Ottawa was “very serious” about building closer ties with India. He said that as a “rule of law country” , Canada would need to work with India, to ensure it got all the facts with regard to the killing of Mr. Nijjar.

Jaishankar Meets Lawmakers in Washington

In addition to meeting U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Mr Jaishankar, on Thursday, met with Members of Congress (including Indian American lawmakers Ro Khanna and Rajakrishnamurthi ) at India House, the official residence of the Indian Ambassador. Mr Jaishankar had also met with think tanks on Thursday.

Mr Jaishankar interacted with industry heads at an event organised by the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, an advocacy group. There was a discussion at this meeting about opportunities emerging from US-India collaboration , such as in the fields of critical and emerging technology and supply chains.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on September 28, 2023, at the State Department in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP

Kicking off the Washington segment of his U.S. trip, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. As The Hindu went to press, Mr. Jaishankar was also in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The meetings are routine but also particularly significant given the recent and serious diplomatic challenges in the India-Canada relationship following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that the Indian Government was linked to the assassination of a Khalistani separatist leader in British Columbia.

Officials have not, thus far, commented in any detail on the agenda of either the White House or State Department meetings, which come three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington and entail follow up work from that visit. Mr. Modi’s June visit saw the announcement of a large set of programmes, from space to health. Mr. Jaishankar also routinely visits Washington DC in the fall, following his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.

“Recognised the tremendous progress in our bilateral relationship this year and discussed taking it forward,” Mr. Jaishankar tweeted describing his Thursday morning meeting with Mr. Sullivan.

He also announced that he had an interaction with think tanks in Washington posting a photograph on X (formerly Twitter), of the interaction, which included India’s Ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

“Discussed transformations underway around the world and India’s growing role,” Mr. Jaishankar said. Both interactions were closed to the press.

Washington:

Underscoring the transformative momentum in the India-US relationship, officials of the two nations held discussions on opportunities to further strengthen interoperability and logistics cooperation.

During the India-US 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue held here on Tuesday, the officials also discussed combined maritime engagements in the Indian Ocean Region, as well as expanded cooperation in the space and cyber domains, the Pentagon said.

The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary Vani Rao of the Ministry of External Affairs and Joint Secretary Vishwesh Negi of the Ministry of Defence, it said.

The American side was led by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Dr. Ely Ratner and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu.

“The officials also discussed regional security developments and strategic priorities across the Indo-Pacific region,” a statement said.

The 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue advanced a wide range of ambitious initiatives across the breadth of the US-India partnership, including defence and security, emerging technologies, people-to-people ties, clean energy, and supply chain resilience, the Pentagon said.

On the defence side, Ratner and his counterparts reviewed the progress the two countries have made in implementing the Roadmap for US-India Defense Industrial Cooperation. They welcomed the progress on new co-production initiatives and committed to expeditiously conclude negotiations on the Security of Supply Arrangement and Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreements, the statement said.

The officials underscored the transformative momentum in the US-India relations and reaffirmed that a strong partnership between the two countries is essential to upholding security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region, it said.

Ratner reaffirmed the department’s commitment to working with India to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The basic customs duties and other levies will continue on eight products, including apple and walnut from the US as well as other countries, a senior government official said on Friday.

Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Peeyush Kumar said that India had imposed retaliatory customs duties on 28 American products in 2019 against US measure to impose duties on certain steel and aluminium products.

He added that India has withdrawn only retaliatory duty on eight products – chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, diagnostic reagents – in 2023 and the value of imports into India from the US stood at $1.08 billion in 2022-23.

In return, India has gained market access for indefinite period into the US through commitments for granting approval to 70 per cent and 80 per cent of exclusion requests, respectively, for Indian steel and aluminum products.

Total volume approved is 3.36 lakh MT (metric tones) and its total value is $ 1.01 billion, Mr Kumar told reporters here.

“The existing BCD (basic customs duty) rates for all the 8 products along with applicable surcharge, cess, IGST, etc. prevails for these imports from all the countries including the US,” he said.

In addition, he said, Indian apples would be shielded against dumping of low quality and predatory pricing through the Minimum Import Price (MIP) of Rs 50 per kilogramme for imports from all countries except Bhutan.

The retaliatory duties removed are 10 per cent on chickpeas, 20 per cent on lentils, Rs 7-20 per kg on almonds,; and 20 per cent each on walnuts, apple, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents.

The BCD on these goods are 60 per cent on chickpeas, 30 per cent on lentils, Rs 35-100 per kg on almonds, Rs 100 per cent on walnut; 50 per cent each on apples, 7.5 per cent on boric acid, and 10 per cent on diagnostic reagents. 

Washington:

With India and the US announcing the resolution of their last trade dispute on poultry products at the WTO, New Delhi has agreed to reduce tariffs on certain American products like frozen turkey, frozen duck, fresh blueberries and cranberries, the USTR has said.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai in a statement said the US and India have agreed to resolve their last outstanding dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Indian measures concerning the importation of poultry and poultry products.

“As part of the agreement, India also agreed to reduce tariffs on certain US products, including frozen turkey, frozen duck, fresh blueberries and cranberries, frozen blueberries and cranberries, dried blueberries and cranberries, and processed blueberries and cranberries,” the statement dated September 8 said. These tariff cuts, it said, will expand economic opportunities for US agricultural producers in a critical market and help bring more US products to India. “Resolving this last outstanding WTO dispute represents an important milestone in the US-India trade relationship, while reducing tariffs on certain US products enhances crucial market access for American agricultural producers,” Katherine Tai said.

In June, the two countries agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the World Trade Organization. India also agreed to reduce tariffs on certain US products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington DC:

The leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia and other countries are in talks on a possible infrastructure deal involving railroads and ports, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting sources.

According to the agency, the talks were first reported in the American newsletter Axios.

As per the American newsletter, this new project can be the key initiative that the White House is pushing in the Middle East where China’s influence is growing and the country is a key part of Beijing’s Belt and Road vision.

Biden administration seeks to complete its diplomatic push for a mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that could include a normalization agreement between the kingdom and Israel before the 2024 campaign consumes Biden’s agenda.

According to Axios, the project is expected to connect Arab countries in the Levant and the Gulf via a network of railways that will also connect to India through seaports in the Gulf, the sources said.

The idea for this new initiative came up during talks that were held over the last 18 months in another forum called I2U2, which includes the US, Israel, the UAE and India, according to Axios citing two sources.

The forum was established in late 2021 to discuss strategic infrastructure projects in the Middle East and to serve as a counterweight to Beijing’s growing influence in the region.

Israel raised the idea of connecting the region through railways during the I2U2 meetings over the last year. Part of the idea was to use India’s expertise on such big infrastructure projects, a source said.

The Biden administration then expanded on the idea to include Saudi Arabia’s participation, Axois reported while citing the source.

Washington:

For two and a half decades, it has been a top and consistent goal for the United States across very different presidencies — encouraging the rise of India. As New Delhi takes the global stage by leading the Group of 20 summit, President Joe Biden will be there as a cheerleader, even as US policymakers come to accept that India’s interests will at times be at odds with Washington’s.

The gathering comes the same year that India topped China as the most populous nation and surpassed its former colonizer Britain as the fifth-largest economy, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being feted on visits to Washington, Paris and elsewhere.

“I think in some ways, Prime Minister Modi has wanted to make it India’s coming-out party to the world — as a major power, with its own independent voice, whose time has come,” Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said of this weekend’s G20 summit.

The United States has viewed the fellow democracy as a natural ally that can rival an autocratic and increasingly assertive China, which has clashed with India on their disputed border.

But India has stood firm against another US priority by refusing to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, a nod to its historic ties with Moscow. Heading into the G20, India has sought to play down geopolitics and seek consensus on development issues such as debt relief and climate change.

Bridge between West and South

Alyssa Ayres, who helped build relations with New Delhi as a State Department official, said it should come as no surprise that India, a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, remains “fiercely independent.”

She said that India saw no contradiction as it seeks “ties with all across the board.”

“It’s a mark of how India sees its leadership role that it has explicitly focused its G20 presidency on bridging concerns of the world’s largest economies with those of the Global South,” said Ayres, now dean of George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

The Biden administration has repeatedly saluted PM Modi’s leadership and said it will work with India to achieve success at the G20, including on reforming international economic institutions.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, has said the United States also wants to show that the G20 can deliver — boosting the role of the US-backed group representing some 85 percent of global GDP at a time that the BRICS club of emerging economies, which includes India but has been championed largely by China, is expanding.

Aparna Pande, a South Asia expert at the Hudson Institute, said that India, in its quest to boost its own global role, has always favored a multipolar world rather than one dominated by a single power.

Despite its differences with the United States, India still offers a strong partner at a time that China is wooing developing countries, she said.

“India’s strong ties to the Global South — the former developing and non-aligned world — make India the ideal bridge for the US and its allies,” she said.

Agreeing to disagree on Russia

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both skipping the G20, an absence Biden is sure to use to his advantage.

Xi may have faced a frosty, sidelined reception in New Delhi. While India has not joined sanctions on Russia, Putin’s presence would have proven a major distraction as he is shunned by the West and faces an international arrest warrant.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States was “very concerned” about India’s position but has “grudgingly accepted it,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the nonpartisan Wilson Center think tank.

“I think that Washington may even see India’s position as one that could have advantages for the US if there is a desire down the road to try to push for some type of mediated, negotiated end to the war,” Kugelman said.

Kugelman added he believed the Biden administration was “quietly concerned” about domestic developments inside India but has decided it is best to “stay quiet.”

The administration has decided that “if the US were to start flagging the rights and democracy issue, that would risk imperiling a relationship that is much too important for the US to lose,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

With the US flagging concerns over India’s decision to impose import restrictions on certain electronic devices, both countries have agreed to find a solution to the issue that addresses the concerns of both nations, according to a statement of United States Trade Representative (USTR). 

The issue was flagged during a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai here on August 26.

The two ministers also directed their officials to continue their discussions to mutually resolve the last pending trade dispute with regard to certain poultry products at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

“Ambassador Tai also raised concerns related to India’s import licensing requirements for technological equipment. She noted that there were stakeholders that needed an opportunity to review and provide input to ensure that the policy, if implemented, does not have an adverse impact on US exports to India,” according to a readout of Ambassador Tai’s meeting with Mr Goyal.

“Ambassador Tai and Minister Goyal agreed to explore this issue further and find a solution that addresses both countries’ concerns,” the statement, posted on the USTR website, said.

India’s imports of these products (PCs/laptops, tablets, Wifi Dongles, Smart Card Reader, Android TV Boxes) were worth USD 8.8 billion in 2022-2023. Earlier this month, India said that it would impose import restrictions on electronic devices like laptops and computers (including tablet computers) from November 1 on security grounds with an aim to boost domestic manufacturing and cut imports from countries like China.

It added that Tai and Goyal discussed the seventh outstanding WTO dispute with regard to measures concerning the importation of certain agricultural products.

“They tasked their respective teams with continuing discussions on this dispute in order to reach a solution soon,” it added.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June, the two countries announced ending of six trade disputes at the WTO and India’s removal of tariffs on certain Us products (chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents).

They also looked forward to reconvening the US-India Trade Policy Forum later this year.

The poultry case was filed by the US against India in the WTO in 2012. India has lost the dispute both at the panel as well as the appellate body levels. It was ruled against India that New Delhi’s ban on imports of poultry products from the US was inconsistent with global norms.

As India was not able to implement the decision within the stipulated time frame, the US had demanded compensation. Now both countries are discussing ways to resolve the case mutually.

The US is the largest trading partner of India. In 2022-23, the bilateral goods trade increased to USD 128.8 billion as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)