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From East to West, lunar missions to potato chips

Last Updated 13 November 2010, 16:56 IST

The statement came as a shocker for New Delhi as it indicated Washington’s readiness to acknowledge role of Beijing in India-Pakistan relations.

New Delhi, November, 2010: As Obama visited India almost a year after his tour to China, he recognised the role of India beyond South Asia. And, in a clear message to Beijing, the US and India agreed ‘to deepen existing regular strategic consultations on developments in East Asia and global issues of mutual interest, including Central and West Asia’.

“The US welcomes, in particular, India’s leadership in expanding prosperity and security across the region,” said the joint statement issued after Obama-Singh meet.

The visiting US President’s support for India’s bid for a permanent membership of  the United Nations Security Council was a gift box that New Delhi might find difficult to unwrap anytime soon. But what made New Delhi elated is undoubtedly the US recognition of India’s role in East Asia and beyond. More so, as it came at a time when New Delhi’s complex relation with Beijing got strained over China's insistence on stapled visa for people from Jammu and Kashmir, denial of visa to a senior military officer posted in the State and its assistance to projects in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.

On Pakistan front too, Obama made a last ditch effort to assure India that the US would continue to press Pakistan to ensure that the plotters of 26/11 were brought to justice soon. He announced US-India joint developmental projects in Afghanistan – sending out a clear message to Islamabad, which has been aggressively campaigning against India’s role in the western neighbourhood of Pakistan. New Delhi believes that elements supported by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence were responsible for deadly attacks that resulted in the deaths of 17 Indians in Afghanistan since 2008.

A fresh push to stagnant space collaboration could be seen as a major gain from the Obama visit. Both sides have agreed to reconvene a joint civil space working group in 2011 to have a new look at the possibility of Indo-US cooperation in lunar missions, manned space flights and India's participation in International Space Station. However, the gains will only be known when these groups meet and act. 

Elusive hi-tech

Removing bars on four ISRO and DRDO laboratories and Bharat Dynamics Limited (the production house for Agni and Prithvi missiles) does not mean much as it would only ease access to some low-level routine technology. Export of really high-tech and sensitive stuff would still be reviewed on a case by case basis by the Department of Commerce. Unless the official notification from the US DoC comes, no one is sure on the nature of even these exemptions.

There would possibly be more US role in the food processing sector as a part of the Indo-US “Ever-green resolution”. But can that be called a gain or not is a matter of economic and sociological debate – a case in point could be traditional ways of consuming potato in India vis-a-vis the potato chips industry.

Obama visit: A testament to Indo-US partnership

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(Published 13 November 2010, 16:38 IST)

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