Jake Sullivan in India today; 5 things that make his visit important

US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan arrived in New Delhi on Monday to participate in the second meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). After arriving in India’s national capital, Sullivan held talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, and also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He is expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his two-day India visit.

First major visit in Modi 3.0

It is the first visit of US President Joe Biden’s NSA to India and also the first visit of a high-ranking official from a major power since PM Modi assumed office for the third consecutive term.

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Sullivan’s visit was discussed between a telephonic conversation between Modi and Biden on June 5, a day after the results of the Indian parliamentary election were announced, confirming the continuation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in New Delhi.

Biden had called up Modi to congratulate him on his re-election for a third term. Later, the White House issued a statement saying, “President Joseph R Biden, Jr spoke today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to congratulate him and the National Democratic Alliance on their historic victory in India’s general election.”

Sullivan’s visit had been deferred twice, beginning February this year, as the Biden administration got caught up in the Israel-Hamas conflict in West Asia.

There’s a Pannun plot angle

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Sullivan’s visit came close on the heels of the report that The Czech Republic had extradited Indian national Nikhil Gupta to the US over his alleged involvement in a failed assassination plot targeting pro-Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. Gupta’s petition in a Czech Republic court was rejected in May.

The alleged failed assassination plot has been a contentious issue between the two countries, with authorities in the US pressuring India to investigate any possible link to government officials. India has denied its involvement in the alleged plot and maintained that such actions are not part of its policies.

Sullivan comes straight from Ukraine Peace Summit

Sullivan visits India directly from Burgenstock, Switzerland, where the Ukraine Peace Summit was held. More than 80 countries signed a joint-statement calling on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine. India participated in the summit deliberating the ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war but it did not sign the joint-statement.

Russia was not invited to the peace summit, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said peace can return to the region once Russia withdraws its troops. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to prevent the latter from joining the trans-Atlantic military treaty, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). During the peace summit, Sullivan had said he would be travelling directly from Switzerland.

Focus of Sullivan’s tour is on iCET

Accompanied by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Sullivan’s deliberations are likely to cover the overall progress of the ambitious iCET initiative. The iCET is a US-India collaboration to boost cooperation in the fields of technology.

Key aspects of iCET is the US-India collaboration in specific high-technology areas such as semiconductors, next-generation telecommunication, artificial intelligence and defence. With an overdependence on China and Taiwan, which is facing a serious threat from China, in the field of semiconductors makes iCET makes the visit more significant.

Another focus area in Sullivan’s meetings was expected to be defence cooperation, particularly the ambitious plan of US defence giant GE Aerospace and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to produce the advanced F414 jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The US Congress approved the agreement in August last year.

IMEC amid Hamas war

India has an ambitious plan to implement the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which has been delayed due to the Israel-Hamas war that began in October last year.

The IMEC was devised to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It envisages a vast road, railroad and shipping networks from India through Saudi Arabia to Europe. It’s a strategically significant connectivity project for India, the United States and Europe to ensure integration of Asia and the West to reduce the global dependence on Chinese supply chains.

The IMEC also envisages an electricity cable network, a hydrogen pipeline, high-speed data cable network to facilitate overall economic growth in the partner countries.

Sullivan’s talks with Indian leaders would likely focus on the situations in West Asia over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and Indo-Pacific, where China’s aggressive push has triggered serious security concerns in the region.