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In News
- Top officials of India, US meet for home security dialogue
Key Points
- The meeting was held recently in virtual mode.
- It was co-chaired by the Home Secretary, Government of India, and Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans, Department of Homeland Security, Government of USA.
Minutes of the Meeting
- Purpose:
- During the meeting, both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation.
- Sub Groups:
- There are six sub-groups formed under the Indo-US homeland security dialogue which cover the areas of:
- Illicit finance, financial fraud and counterfeiting.
- Cyber information.
- Megacity policing and sharing of information among federal, state and local partners.
- Global supply chain, transportation, port, border and maritime security.
- Capacity building.
- Technology upgradation.
- There are six sub-groups formed under the Indo-US homeland security dialogue which cover the areas of:
- Conclusion of the meeting:
- The meeting concluded with both sides expressing satisfaction with the ongoing partnership and agreeing to deepen bilateral engagement and collaboration in all areas of mutual concern.
U.S.-India Homeland Security Dialogue
- India and the U.S. have agreed to re-establish the U.S.- India Homeland Security Dialogue, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in March 2021, following a discussion between India’s Ambassador to the United States and Secretary of Homeland Security.
- The first Homeland Security Dialogue between both countries was held in 2011.
- The second dialogue was held in 2021.
India- US Relations
- Defence and Security:
- India has signed all 4 foundational agreements with the USA including.
- General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)
- Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)
- Communications, Compatibility and Security Arrangement (COMCASA)
- Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo- Spatial Cooperation (BECA)
- A ‘2+2’ foreign and defence ministers dialogue has been started.
- Malabar Exercise and QUAD
- Economy:
- Indian Petronet, an LNG company, will invest in American gas company Tellurian.
- India is buying defence equipment worth $3-billion, including American helicopters (MH-60 Romeo helicopters) this year itself.
- India has a trade surplus with the USA.
- Energy Security:
- A bilateral Strategic Energy Partnership was launched in April 2018.
- Under this India has started importing crude and LNG from the US.
- Now, the US is India’s sixth-largest source of crude oil imports and hydrocarbons.
- Renewable Energy:
- A commercial agreement for Westinghouse to build six nuclear reactors in Andhra Pradesh.
- Geostrategic:
- China’s hegemony in the South China Sea as well as the Belt and Road Initiative is creating trouble for both India and USA.
- Anti Terror Cooperation:
- Designation of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 after Pulwama Attack needed support from the US.
- Further placing Pakistan in the FATF grey list is also a mutual decision.
- Pivot to Asia Policy of USA:
- The US under its Pivot to Asia policy views India as an ideal balancer to check the aggressive rise of China.
- Therefore, the US has formulated the concept of Indo-Pacific to counter China in the South China Sea and the Indian ocean.
- The US has designated India as an integral part of the Indo-pacific narrative by the conception of Quad.
- Points of Divergence
Challenges
- Trade Deal:
- The USA is worried about the trade deficit it has with India.
- Further, India’s benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) scheme were terminated by Trump in 2019.
- The GSP provides preferential, duty-free access for over $6 billion worth of products exported from developing countries to the US.
- Different cases/ disagreements at WTO:
- India’s domestic component clause was a bone of contention.
- Similarly there is lack of consensus over the IPR regime and evergreening of patents.
- Peace Clause and Public Procurement Policy
- Digital Data:
- The US, Japan, etc support Free Flow of Data with Trust whereas India has raised red flags on it.
- Agriculture:
- The US has long demanded greater access to American agriculture and dairy products.
- For India, protecting its domestic agriculture and dairy interests was a major reason to walk out of the RCEP agreement.
- US-Pakistan Equation:
- The US has often shown a soft corner for Pakistan due to dynamic equations in Afghanistan.
- CAATSA:
- The USA, although has given special waivers, still time to time threatens to impose CAATSA on India over trade with Iran and Russia.
- Both are very strategic for countering China and Pakistan.
Conclusion
- Defence cooperation has been a critical element of Indo-US friendship as this has both strategic and economic shared interests, based on the democratic ideology of both countries.
Source: IE
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