Biden's NSA Jake Sullivan visiting India before Trump takes charge, what's on agenda?

Before US President Joe Biden ends his four-year term and hands over the power to Donald Trump on January 20, National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan is travelling to India for what will be a last formal interaction with the outgoing administration.

Sullivan will be visiting India on January 6-7, a report by Hindustan Times cited people familiar with the matter saying on condition of anonymity. However, there has been no formal announcement from either of the sides.

Why is US NSA Jake Sullivan visiting India?

Sullivan will be in India for a review of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) as well as for bilateral talks.

On Monday, the US NSA and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval are expected to co-chair the meeting to review progress under the iCET which was announced by Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2022 to elevate and expand our strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of our two countries. .

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Sullivan and Doval are expected to hold the conversation cutting across tech and strategic domains, ranging from AI, quantum computing, semiconductors to space.

Notably, this will be the third round of talks on the iCET with first being held in January 2023. For the second meeting in June 2024, Sullivan travelled to India and both the two sides agreed on the next steps in their strategic technology partnership as well as pledged to remove long-standing barriers to strategic trade.

Sullivan’s India visit: What’s on agenda?

Apart from iCET review meet, Sullivan is also expected to meet PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

A report by The Indian Express quoted sources as saying that Sullivan’s upcoming visit will be his farewell call to PM Modi, and will be an important gesture from the Biden administration towards New Delhi about the bipartisan nature of the partnership.

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In his upcoming visit, Sullivan is also expected to interact with students and deliver a lecture on the theme of “The United States and India: Building a shared future” in New Delhi on January 6.

Sullivan’s India visit comes days after Jaishankar travelled US

Sullivan’s visit to India comes barely over a week after Jaishankar met him in the US on December 27.

EAM Jaishankar also met Michael Waltz, Sullivan’s likely successor whom Trump has nominated for the post of national security advisor in his upcoming administration.

The Jaishankar-Waltz meet marked the first high-level contact between the India government and the incoming Trump administration.

Sullivan has been considered as one of the most influential officials in the outgoing administration in the US. He has played a pivotal role in managing conflicts across the world including the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel’s war in Gaza and tensions with Iran, as well as the growing assertiveness of China.

With inputs from agencies.