Understanding the India-Us Relationship Regarding Trade, Welfare and Defence

Based on common democratic values and increasing convergence of interests in bilateral cooperation, regional, and global concerns, India-US bilateral relations have evolved into a “global strategic partnership.” India’s emphasis on development has created an opportunity to relight the bilateral ties and build up cooperation under the mottos “Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go” and “Sanjha Prayas, Sab ka Vikas” (Shared Effort, Progress for All), which were adopted during our leaders’ summits in September 2014 and January 2015, respectively. Bilateral cooperation between India and the United States is extensive and multifaceted.

Embassies

India continues to keep an embassy in the United States at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, while the US has five consulate buildings in India. The biggest US consulate in India is located in Kolkata.

Foreign issues

According to some commentators, the Obama administration’s stance on Pakistan and the handling of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan have deteriorated the India-US relationship. M.K. Narayanan, India’s National Security Adviser, slammed the Obama administration for tying the Kashmir conflict to insecurity in Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying that President Obama was “barking up the wrong tree” by doing so. In February 2009, Foreign Policy criticised Obama’s attitude to South Asia, claiming that “India can be part of the solution rather than part of the issue” in the region. It also proposed that India would take a more proactive role in rebuilding Afghanistan regardless of the Obama administration’s approach. In a clear sign of the increasing chasm between the two countries,

Concerning Political Relations

The number of high-level visits and exchanges between India and the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. Prime Minister Modi visited the United States from September 26 to September 30, 2014, and met with President Barack Obama, members of Congress, and other officials.

India-US Relationship of Economy

The US aspires to deepen its trading partnership with India in a mutually beneficial and equitable manner. Bilateral goods and services traded between the United States and India were $149 billion in 2019. Exporting energy from the United States is a principal source of growth in the trade relationship. Indian students studying in American colleges and institutions contribute more than $8 billion annually to the US economy. Over the last decade, the total number of Indian students in the United States has more than quadrupled, from 81,000 in 2008 to 202,000 in 2019.

India-US Trade Relations:

India and the US are trading partners. Trade and investment links are important in bilateral cooperation between the United States and India. Other trade restrictions and market access. Some people have long been concerned about India.

There are possibilities for the two countries to strengthen their commercial ties and participate in global and regional trade issues of mutual interest if they can remove existing bilateral trade restrictions.

In 2019, India was the United States’ 12th largest goods export market. The top export categories were: precious metals and stones (diamond), mineral fuels, aircraft, organic chemicals, and machinery.

In the India-US Relationship in Defence

Being Trading partners, the India-US cooperation signed the “New Framework for India-US Defence Relations” in 2005, increasing defence trade, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, collaboration, and cooperation in maritime security and counter-piracy, and exchanges between each of the three services. The defence relationship has become a major pillar of the India-US strategic partnership. In June 2015, the Defence Framework Agreement was amended and extended for another ten years.

The total value of US defence acquisitions has surpassed the US $13 billion.

India and the United States have created the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), which aims to simplify technology transfer laws and explore opportunities for co-development and co-production to add strategic value to defence cooperation. 

In 2016, India and the United States signed a logistic exchange memorandum of understanding, and India was designated as the United States’ significant defence partner.

Educational India-US Relationship

In the higher education sector, India and the United States’ relationship already has various areas of partnership that might benefit both liberal democracies. In September 2014, at their first bilateral summit, Prime Minister Modi and President Obama agreed on a new mantra for the India-US relationship: “Chalein Saath: Forward Together We Go.” The joint declaration endorses the first vision statement for the two countries’ strategic engagement in various sectors, including higher education.

International Corporation

India and the United States work closely in international organisations such as the United Nations, the Group of 20 (G-20), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization. The United States welcomes India’s appointment to the UN Security Council for a two-year term in 2021 and supports a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member. India is an ASEAN conversation partner, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development partner, and an Organization of American States observer. India is also a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), in which the United States participates in dialogue. The United States joined India’s Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in 2019 to boost collaboration on sustainable infrastructure.

Conclusion

India-US ties have become progressively multifaceted, including collaboration in sectors such as trade, education, defence and security, science and technology, the technology of space, civil nuclear energy, applications, the environment, and healthcare.

People-to-people connections between the two countries add vigour and strength to this bilateral cooperation relationship. There have been regular meetings at the political and governmental levels, with a wide-ranging debate on national, regional, and international concerns.