US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti emphasized that the two nations should collaborate on emerging critical technologies, likening their relationship to that of cousins, if not siblings.
Last year, the leaders of the United States and India launched an initiative focusing on critical emerging technologies in five key areas: semiconductors, telecommunications, space and defense, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Our national security advisers will come together in a couple of months for the most recent updates on this. We need to make sure that we are developing these things together,” Garcetti said at an event hosted by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA).
Discussing bilateral trade, Garcetti highlighted the potential to increase trade between the US and India from the current $200 billion to a range of $400-500 billion through enhanced collaboration and investment. “We are so much more powerful together than we are on our own. Despite the rhetoric of our past, we have such a vast affinity for each other. We are cousins, if not siblings. Strategically, we know we need to diversify our supply chains,” he remarked.
India is poised to be the largest delegation at the forthcoming SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, both in terms of manpower and investment. The program, scheduled for June 23-25, aims to attract foreign investment to the US.
Addressing cybersecurity, Garcetti pointed out that threat actors are increasingly coordinated, whereas firms and governments often operate in silos. To effectively counter both state and criminal cyber threats, it is essential for both the government and corporate sectors to stay agile in their understanding of cybersecurity and to be prepared to act swiftly. Garcetti noted the significant scale of cyber threats, mentioning that government offices in Los Angeles alone face 100 crore cyberattacks each month.
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