US Commerce Secy discusses key areas of shared interest in meet with top Indian leadership

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discussed key areas of shared interests including the Indo-Pacific region in her meetings with the top Indian leadership including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Raimondo in her meeting with Doval, according to the Department of Commerce, discussed the US-India commercial relationship and "opportunities to deepen linkages between our economies".

"They concurred on the importance of the inaugural meeting of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology," the Commerce Department said, adding that they also discussed the upcoming US-India CEO Forum and US-India Commercial Dialogue meetings, which will help facilitate increased cooperation between the two governments and business communities across a variety of sectors.

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Raimondo discussed with all the Indian leaders the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and the opportunities it presents to deepen regional economic integration and enhance individual and collective economic competitiveness.

In her meeting with Jaishankar, Raimondo discussed US-India relations and opportunities for further economic cooperation. The Secretary underscored the importance of the US-India bilateral relationship to the Biden administration and the department, including ongoing collaboration and potential for closer commercial ties through the US-India CEO Forum (CEO Forum) and the US-India Commercial Dialogue.

The two agreed to launch the US-India Strategic Trade dialogue to address export controls, explore ways of enhancing high technology commerce, and facilitate technology transfer between countries. She thanked him for India’s continued support on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and raised the importance of the Framework to enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States, India, and the other IPEF partners, a media release said.

In her meeting with Sitharaman, the discussions included Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), semiconductors, and supply chain resilience, the Department of Commerce said.

Raimondo thanked her for India's early engagement and continued support of IPEF, and for working closely with the minister to deliver concrete outcomes through IPEF.

In her meeting with Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan, Raimondo discussed the IPEF, including the IPEF Upskilling Initiative, and India's initiatives on skill development. "The two discussed how the IPEF Upskilling Initiative is a concrete example of the types of economic benefits to IPEF Partners that will be available through the Framework and the potential for future cooperation," a media release said.

Raimondo in her meeting with Minister of Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw discussed issues of importance to the US-India commercial relationship, including cooperation on semiconductors, the digital economy and data flows, Open RAN and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a media release said.

"The two discussed the importance of the United States and the 13 other IPEF partners working to develop the policies that will create more resilient and secure supply chains, accelerate progress.