US views India as "Highly Strategic Partner" for AI and Supply Chain security; Under Secy Helberg to attend Delhi summit in February amid push for deeper bilateral cooperation

Jacob Helberg, the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, announced he would attend the India AI Impact Summit in February as Washington seeks to deepen collaboration with New Delhi on what he termed "economic security matters".

Speaking to reporters virtually on the Pax Silica Summit in Washington on Wednesday, Helberg addressed questions about India's absence from the gathering, which brought together technologically advanced economies to coordinate strategy on AI infrastructure and semiconductor supply chains.

"I want to be clear that the conversations between the United States and India pertaining to trade arrangements are a completely separate and parallel track to our discussions on supply chain security," Helberg said. "We are not conflating those two things."

He emphasised that India was not "excluded" from the summit due to diplomatic friction, but is currently engaged through bilateral discussions rather than the multilateral framework.

"We view India as a highly strategic potential partner on supply chain security-related efforts, and we welcome the opportunity to engage with them," he added, noting that officials from both countries remain in daily communication.

The Under Secretary said his attendance at February's Delhi summit would provide an opportunity to establish "tangible milestones" for US-India cooperation.

"We are actively determining ways of actually deepening that collaboration quickly," Helberg said, adding that the event would yield substantial developments in bilateral economic security arrangements.

The Pax Silica initiative, unveiled at the December summit, represents what organisers describe as a fundamental shift in how Washington approaches economic policy--prioritising national security over traditional trade considerations.

The framework rests on four pillars: rebalancing trade relationships, stabilising conflict zones through economic means, reindustrialising America, and securing supply chains against vulnerabilities.

Helberg characterised silicon and semiconductors as the "lifeblood" of modern technology, with the initiative focused on coordinating investment in fabrication plants, data centres, and mineral refining across allied nations.

The inaugural summit convened partners from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia, with additional participation from Taiwan, the European Union, Canada, and the OECD.

These countries collectively anchor the global semiconductor supply chain, home to firms including Samsung, TSMC, ASML, and SK Hynix.

Japan is considered foundational to the effort, with the Pax Silica concept emerging from bilateral US-Japan discussions. Taiwan participated despite its unique diplomatic status, reflecting its dominance in semiconductor manufacturing.

Observers note India could join the initiative at a subsequent stage, following a pattern established by the Minerals Security Partnership.

That US-led arrangement, launched in 2022 to secure supply chains for critical minerals, initially proceeded without India before New Delhi joined in June 2023 alongside partners including Japan, Australia, and the European Union.

The MSP focuses on materials including lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements--an effort widely viewed as countering China's control of rare earth processing, which accounts for 60-70% of global capacity.

Pax Silica aims to reduce dependence on China across the technology supply chain whilst building resilience in areas from electric vehicle batteries to defence electronics.

The initiative comes as Washington intensifies its focus on economic security, treating supply chain vulnerabilities as a matter of national survival rather than merely a commercial concern. (ANI)