Amid the launch of new initiatives, PM Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump reaffirmed in a joint statement that the India-US partnership is central to a free and open Indo-Pacific. However, as Trump takes upon himself to resolve conflicts and in his own way, a glaring omission from the statement was any mention of the Russia-Ukraine war, or any stock reference to the UN Charter or territorial integrity on that issue, that had featured prominently in such bilateral and even multilateral documents with the Biden administration.
According to the joint statement, the leaders also committed to strengthening law enforcement cooperation to take decisive action against illegal immigration networks, organized crime syndicates, including narco-terrorists human and arms traffickers, as well as other elements who threaten public and diplomatic safety and security, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both nations. India sees this as important for putting a check on the activities of Khalistan separatists on US soil. “There’s a commitment to strengthening law enforcement cooperation in this regard and this is especially significant from our perspective given some events that have taken place,’’ said foreign secretary Vikram Misri. The leaders also publicly called upon Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism.
According to government sources, Modi had detailed discussions with Trump about concerns on both sides regarding market access and the problems arising out of Chinese industrial overcapacity, while asking officials to conclude a mutually beneficial trade deal by fall this year. “They discussed concerns arising from other territories with over capacities that take advantage of consumption in countries like India and the US. They discussed ways and means to address these issues in an overall context,’’ said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The joint statement was also shorn of any focus on climate or global health, issues that made the cut with the previous administration.
The Trump administration strongly backed initiatives like IMEEC and iCET although the latter seemed to have been rechristened TRUST (transforming the relationship utilising strategic technology). TRUST, according to the joint statement, will catalyse government-to-government, academia and private sector collaboration to promote application of critical and emerging technologies in areas like defence, AI, semiconductors and quantum computing, while ensuring protection for sensitive technologies. They agreed to finalise a US-India roadmap on accelerating AI infrastructure.
While there was no direct mention of the conflict in West Asia, the leaders agreed to increase cooperation, enhance diplomatic consultations, and increase tangible collaboration with partners in the region. They highlighted the importance of investing in critical infrastructure and economic corridors to advance peace and security in the region, pledging new announcements this year to take forward IMEEC and I2U2 – comprising India, Israel, UAE and US – initiatives.
On cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as Quad partners, the leaders reiterated that this partnership is underpinned by the recognition of Asean centrality, adherence to international law, support for safety and freedom of navigation, overflight and other lawful uses of the seas, and unimpeded lawful commerce.
“PM Modi looks forward to hosting President Trump in New Delhi for the Quad leaders’ Summit, ahead of which the leaders will activate new Quad initiatives on shared airlift capacity to support civilian response to natural disasters and maritime patrols to improve interoperability,’’ said the joint statement. The 2 sides also launched the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture, a new bilateral forum to advance coordinated investments in economic connectivity and commerce.
The leaders welcomed the proposed Indian amendments of the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA) for nuclear reactors, saying this path forward will unlock plans to build large US-designed reactors and enable collaboration to develop, deploy and scale up nuclear power generation with advanced small modular reactors.
As expected, there was a strong condemnation of terrorism with Trump and Modi backing action against groups like LeT, JeM, ISIS and al Qaeda. As the US formally announced the extradition of Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana, the leaders called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks.
