National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan during a meeting, in New Delhi, on June 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan, who is on a two-day visit, on June 17 underscored the vital importance of adapting each other’s technology protection toolkits and resolved to prevent the “leakage” of sensitive and dual-use technologies to countries of “concern” as they chaired the second meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).

Mr. Sullivan arrived just hours after reports confirmed that Nikhil Gupta was extradited to the U.S., and while neither side confirmed the Pannun case was discussed, it was expected to be high on the agenda.

During the second iCET meeting, the two NSAs set the vision for the next chapter of our strategic technology partnership, according to a joint fact sheet issued after the dialogue. “They underscored their commitment to orienting our cooperation around breakthrough achievements in priority critical and emerging technology areas, by focusing our efforts on co-production, co-development, and research and development opportunities to ensure we stay at the leading edge of innovation and enhancing coordination with like-minded nations to deliver secure, reliable, and cost-competitive technology solutions for the Indian and American people and our partners around the world.”

Mr. Sullivan also held talks with External Affairs minister S. Jaishaknar and later called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Met US NSA Jake Sullivan. India is committed to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for global good,” Mr. Modi said on social media ‘X’.

On June 18, both the NSAs are scheduled to address the India- US iCET roundtable with Industry heads organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. Mr. Sullivan’s India visit for the dialogue was cancelled twice earlier due to geopolitical developments.

India and the U.S. are currently in advanced stages of talks for purchase of 31 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, local licensed manufacture of the General Electric GE-414 engines as well the Stryker infantry vehicles. “Welcoming the discussions on India’s planned acquisition of the MQ-9B platforms, the possible co-production of land warfare systems, and progress on other co-production initiatives outlined in the India-U.S. Roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation,” the fact sheet said in this regard.

On semiconductors, a priority area for both countries, the fact sheet announced the launching of a new strategic semiconductor partnership between General Atomics and 3rdiTech to co-develop semiconductor design and manufacturing for “precision-guided ammunition and other national security-focused electronics platforms.”

The fact sheet also outlined several steps both countries envisage to take in the new and emerging areas in the near future which in a large way would also address dependencies on China. For instance, on rare-earth minerals it outlined, “Promoting India’s vital role in the Mineral Security Partnership, including through co-investing in a lithium resource project in South America and a rare earths deposit in Africa, to responsibly and sustainably diversify critical mineral supply chains.”

The ambitious iCET was announced by Mr. Modi and U.S. President Joseph Biden on the side lines of the Quad Summit in Tokyo in May 2022 and was launched by the NSAs in January 2023 comprising key technology sectors including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy. Subsequently, new areas were included including biotechnology, critical minerals and rare earths processing technologies, digital connectivity and digital public infrastructure and advanced materials.

Pannun investigation

Mr. Sullivan’s India visit began just hours after reports confirmed the extradition of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused of being involved in murder-for-hire plot against Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, from Czech Republic to the US. Mr. Gupta, 52, was arrested in the Czeck Republic last year at the request of the US government. He is expected to be produced before a federal court in New York on Monday.

India, which has come under intense pressure from the US and other countries, has instituted a high-level probe into the matter. To questions few days back from the accompanying White House press corps if the issue would be raised by Mr. Biden with Mr. Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, Mr. Sullivan without giving a direct response said the topic would continue to be discussed “at very senior levels”.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks during the release of the Bangla translation of his book ‘Why Bharat Matters’, in Kolkata, Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on May 14 said that the deployment of forces at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China is “abnormal” and the security of the country should not be disregarded.

Speaking at an event organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Mr. Jaishankar said India responded to the Galwan clash by counter-deployment of forces there.

“After 1962, Rajiv Gandhi went to China in 1988 in many ways that were the key step towards normalising the ties (with China)…there was a clear understanding that we will discuss our boundary differences but we will maintain peace and tranquillity on the border. And the rest of the relationship will carry on,” the minister said.

Since then, it has been the basis of the relationship with China, he said.

“What changed now is what happened in 2020. In 2020, the Chinese, in violation of multiple agreements, brought a large number of forces to our border and they did it at the time when we were under COVID lockdown,” he said.

A total of 20 Indian soldiers died in the Galwan Valley clash, regarded as the worst in over four decades at the India-China border.

Also Read | The Hindu Explains | Who does Galwan Valley belong to?

Mr. Jaishankar said “India responded by counter deployment of forces” and for four years now, forces have been deployed ahead of the normal base positions at Galwan.

“This is a very abnormal deployment along the LAC. Given the tension between the two countries… As Indian citizens, none of us should disregard the security of the country…it is today a challenge”, he said.

There is also an economic challenge, he said, which is due to “neglect of the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in the previous years”.

“Why is Indian business buying so much from China… is it good to be dependent on some other source?” he asked.

Mr. Jaishankar said there is a big economic security debate in the world.

“Countries feel today that many core businesses must stay within the country. The supply chain should be shorter and reliable… In the sensitive sectors, we will be careful… There is a national security obligation,” he said.

Relations with Russia

Regarding Russia, the external affairs minister said that India’s relations with Russia had been positive.

There is also an economic factor as Russia is endowed with natural resources such as oil, coal and metals of various kinds that India can obtain, Mr. Jaishankar said.

Also Read | Old and strong: On India-Russia ties 

Proper focus was not given to the manufacturing and infrastructure sector earlier, and the erstwhile license and permit Raj had created hostility to growth, he said.

“Many states including this one (West Bengal), there had been a culture of hostility to growth while job creation has become a challenge,” Jaishankar said.

Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir

At another event in the city later, the union minister said that Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir had always been an integral part of India.

“I have no doubt in mind that someone living in POK is comparing his situation with someone living in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Mr. Jaishankar said Article 370 which fuelled violence and separatism should never have been continued.

On various conflicts such as Ukraine-Russia war, Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel-Iran problem and South China sea issue, he said the world is a tough place but India is performing its role adroitly and is seen with respect by other countries.

“No country today is dominant enough… This is a transition period with old order running out of gas but the new order has not come,” Mr. Jaishakar said.

The diplomat-turned-minister said countries are keeping a watch to see who will be the new world player and “lots of attention are now on us.” “Most of the world is struggling with economic crisis. Their growth rate has fallen against this backdrop and the world sees a large economy notching up seven per cent growth even after Covid had dealt such a blow to other economies,” he said.

Asked about demographic changes in some states due to trans-border migration, he said “the basic obligation of a state is to protect its borders.

Leaving the borders unguarded, open for people to come is incompetence. We allowed things to happen for which the consequences are serious. When we rectify through good governance, there should not be any opposition from any side,” he commented without naming anyone.

Regarding dependence of Indian students on foreign universities, Mr. Jaishankar said, the focus should be on skills and employability to retain the flow in the country.

In a jibe at a section of the Western media and countries, he said they are yet to come out of the 300 years of berating India but “we must not be taught by countries who go to court to decide elections.”

Without naming anyone, he said people inside the country should not join the refrain of foreign critics and badmouth India outside, he said “we are a country which knows how to keep our arguments within ourselves till votes are counted. Please don’t denigrate the country outside.”

The minister said due to India’s good diplomatic relations with countries like U.S., during the Covid period “we could manage to fight the pandemic as we provided the U.S. with the much-needed tablet which proved effective in fighting the virus and we could successfully prepare vaccines and PPE kits and even these were sought by other countries.”

The minister said that due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic initiative with Russia, people stuck in Ukraine could be rescued while many Western countries could not.

Canada Minister Marc Miller. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller has rejected External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remark that Ottawa is “lax” about admitting people into the country, saying authorities conduct a criminal record check on people entering Canada on student visas.

On May 4, Mr. Jaishankar said that India had “convinced them (Canadian authorities) several times not to give visa, legitimacy or political space to such people which is causing problems for them (Canada), for us and also for our relationship. “But the Canadian government has not done anything,” Mr. Jaishankar said, adding that India sought the extradition of 25 people, most of whom are pro-Khalistan, but they did not pay any heed.

His remarks came after Canadian authorities charged three Indian nationals with the murder of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It is reported that they entered Canada on student visas.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Karan Brar (22) Kamalpreet Singh (22) and Karanpreet Singh (28) all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton, have been charged on Friday with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Responding to a question on April 7 about Mr. Jaishankar’s remarks, Mr. Miller said, “We’re not lax, and the Indian Foreign Minister is entitled to his opinion,” reported the Cable Public Affairs Channel — a Canadian speciality television channel.

When asked what the Canadian government planned on doing about it, he said, “About what the Indian Foreign Minister said? Let him speak his mind. It’s just not accurate.” He said that Canada conducts a criminal record check on people entering the country on student visas, and when asked how this works, he said. “You check them in if they have a criminal record; they don’t come in.” Canada takes “any report like this very seriously,” Mr. Miller said.

He refused to confirm if the three Indians arrested for Nijjar’s murder were in Canada on a student visa, asserting that there’s information that he can’t share at the time because of the ongoing police investigation.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar, a Khalistan separatist.

India has dismissed Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated.” The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated India, which had designated Nijjar a “terrorist.” After the arrest of the three Indian nationals in connection with the murder, police in Canada said they had worked with the U.S. law enforcement agencies without giving additional details. The police suggested more arrests might be coming.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, the force’s commander for the Pacific region said last week that he wouldn’t comment on the alleged links between the three men arrested and Indian officials but noted the force is “investigating connections to the government of India.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Jaishankar on May 4 said what is happening in poll-bound Canada over the killing of Nijjar is mostly due to their internal vote bank politics and has nothing to do with India.

He said a section of pro-Khalistan people are using Canada’s democracy, creating a lobby and have become a vote bank.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with South Korea National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin. Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on March 5 met South Korea’s national security advisor Chang Ho-jin and held useful discussions with him on the shared convergences in the Indo-Pacific region and contemporary regional and global issues.

Mr. Jaishankar is in Seoul on the first leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan.

He will co-chair the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul during the visit.   “Good start to my South Korea visit. Meeting with the Director of National Security Chang Ho-jin in Seoul today. A useful discussion on our shared convergences in the Indo-Pacific and contemporary regional & global issues,” Mr. Jaishankar posted on X.

He also met Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Dukgeun.

“Wide-ranging conversation on our trade and economic cooperation, both current and future, which is at the heart of India-South Korea relationship,” Mr. Jaishankar said.

He also held an interesting conversation with think tank representatives of South Korea.

“Our exchanges and interaction would only increase as the convergences between our two countries grow,” Mr. Jaishankar said.

During the visit, he is also expected to meet with Korean dignitaries and the Indian community.

The Special Strategic Partnership between India and South Korea has expanded to diverse areas of cooperation, which include trade, investments, defence, education, science and technology and culture.

The JCM is expected to comprehensively review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening it. It will also provide an opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of Jaishankar’s visit.

King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will begin a eight-day visit to India on November 3, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

It said the visit would provide an opportunity to both sides to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and further advance the “exemplary” partnership.

The King of Bhutan will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is expected to deliberate on various aspects of close India-Bhutan ties.

“External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and senior officials of the government will call on the King of Bhutan,” the MEA said on November 2.

“The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, accompanied by senior officials of the Royal Government of Bhutan, will be on an official visit to India from November 3 to 10,” it said in a statement. The King will also visit the States of Assam and Maharashtra.

“India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterised by understanding and mutual trust,” the MEA said.

“The visit would provide an opportunity to both the sides to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and to further advance the exemplary bilateral partnership, across diverse sectors,” it said.