India A Key Tech Partner, Says US Official After Pax Silica Launch
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Donald Trump administration on June 26 identified India as a potential “comprehensive partner” under its newly launched Pax Silica initiative, saying the two countries are well-positioned to deepen cooperation in semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced technologies and resilient supply chains.
Speaking after the launch of the initiative, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said Washington sees significant opportunities to expand technology and economic ties with New Delhi.
“India has the potential to be a comprehensive partner,” Helberg said.
“We already work together on a whole array of different issues, and Pax Silica opens the door to deepen our collaboration on semiconductor manufacturing, on critical minerals processing.”
Helberg said India and the United States share common concerns about strengthening global supply chains and reducing dependence on vulnerable manufacturing networks.
He also highlighted India’s large youth population and growing developer ecosystem as key strengths that could support deeper cooperation in innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.
“India is home to one of the largest youth populations in the world. We also see the same opportunities in terms of promoting a developer ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and jobs for our people. So, we’re very excited to work with India.”
On whether India and the United States could work together to address supply chain risks linked to China, Helberg said the broader challenge was over-concentrated global supply chains rather than any single country.
“You know, we think about it as a problem of over-concentration in our supply chains, and there are over-concentration issues that are not unique to China,” he said.
He added that the United States and India are aligned on reducing “single points of failure” in global supply chains to strengthen economic resilience.
“We are totally on the same page about the fact that these single points of failure need to be de-risked for the health of the global economy,” Helberg said.
The remarks came during a discussion following the launch of Pax Silica, a US-led initiative aimed at expanding cooperation with partner countries on advanced technologies, economic security and resilient supply chains.
India and the United States have expanded cooperation in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and other critical technologies in recent years, with both governments emphasizing trusted technology partnerships and more resilient global supply chains. (IANS)
