US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will be on a two-day visit to India starting January 5, where he will hold discussions with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and also meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. In the weekly media briefing, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the India-US relations are strong and that continuous discussions keep happening between the two countries. 

White House statement on Sulivan’s visit

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby on Friday said, “National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will be travelling to New Delhi, India, on January 5 and 6 for a capstone meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.” 

“It will span a range of issues across the breadth of our partnership with India, from space, defence, and strategic technology cooperation, all the way also to shared security priorities in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” he added.

Sulivan’s visit to India comes as the Joe Biden administration prepares to wrap up its four-year term.

Kirby also mentioned that Sulivan will also be visiting the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, adding, “he will be able to meet with young Indian entrepreneurs and give a speech outlining the significant steps that the United States and India have taken together to strengthen our innovation alliance under the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, otherwise known as iCET.” “He’s very excited and looking forward to these conversations at this critical time,” Kirby further added.

A second senior administration official told reporters that Sullivan will be taking up several issues with Indian officials on this trip.

1. The discussions will be related to advancing the civil nuclear partnership, which will involve finding ways to advance cooperation around small modular reactor technology as well as other forms of civil nuclear cooperation.
2. Another major topic of discussion will be addressing China’s overcapacity, whether in the context of legacy chips or biopharmaceutical supply chains.
3. The discussions will also touch upon artificial intelligence and national security following the conclusion of their own national security memorandum on AI and other regulations. 
4. India and the US will also deliberate upon promoting the new commercial space cooperation since the US has finalised amendments to its own Missile Technology Control Regime for licensing policies.
5. The talks will also cover unlocking funding for the US-India R&D partnerships under the university-based local challenges institute, an official said.

(With agency inputs)

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