U.S., India partnership targets arms, AI to compete with China

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WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday will launch a partnership with India that President Joe Biden hopes will help the countries compete against China on military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Washington wants to build more Western cellphone networks in the subcontinent to counter China’s Huawei technologies, welcome more Indian computer chip specialists to the United States, and encourage companies from both countries to work together on military equipment like artillery systems.

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The White House faces an uphill battle on every front, including US restrictions on military technology transfers and visas for immigrants, along with India’s longstanding dependence on Moscow for military hardware.

Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval are meeting with senior officials from both countries at the White House on Tuesday to launch the US-India Critical and Emerging Technologies Initiative.

“China’s larger challenge — its economic practices, its aggressive military actions, its efforts to dominate the industries of the future and control the supply chains of the future — have profound implications for thinking in Delhi,” Sullivan said.

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Doval will also meet Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during his three-day visit to Washington DC, which ends Wednesday.

New Delhi has frustrated Washington by participating in military exercises with Russia and increasing purchases of the country’s crude oil, a key source of funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine. But Washington has kept its mouth shut, nudging the country towards Russia while condoning India’s more restrictive stance towards China.

On Monday, Sullivan and Doval attended a Chamber of Commerce event with corporate executives from Lockheed Martin Corp, Adani Enterprises and Applied Materials Inc.

Although India is part of the Biden government’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), Asia’s signature engagement project, it has opted not to participate in the IPEF trade pillar negotiations.

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The initiative also includes joint efforts in space and high-performance quantum computing.

General Electric Co, meanwhile, is asking the US government for permission to produce jet engines with India that would power Indian-operated and manufactured planes, according to the White House, which says a review is underway.

New Delhi said the US government will expeditiously review General Electric’s application and that the two countries would focus on joint production of “key items of common interest” in defense.

The two countries also set up a quantum technology coordination mechanism and agreed to set up a task force with the Indian Semiconductor Mission, the India Electronics Semiconductor Association (IESA) and the US Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) to promote the development of semiconductor ecosystems.

India’s space program will work with NASA on human spaceflight opportunities and other projects, the Indian statement said. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Krishn Kaushik in Delhi; Editing by Chris Sanders, Josie Kao, Himani Sarkar, YP Rajesh and Gerry Doyle)