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U.S. Secretary of State Visit
Why is it in news?
- India will press its case for a waiver of United States’ sanctions on the $5.4 billion Russian S-400 Triumf anti-missile deal, but will discuss Washington’s concerns over the issue during talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
More in news
- Visit to prepare for the Trump-Modi meeting:(1) Mr. Pompeo will have full-delegation meetings with Mr. Jaishankar followed by a press briefing.(2) No MoUs or agreements are expected to be announced.(3) Negotiations on two important agreements are expected- The Industrial Security Annexe and the Geo-spatial cooperation agreement BECA.(4) Closed-door interaction with Indian and American businesses to speak about the impasse over a trade deal and the U.S. withdrawal of India’s GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) status.
- Agenda for talks:(1) Strategic relations and people-to-people ties.(2) Trade issues between the two countries.(3) U.S.’s objections to the purchase of the S-400.(4) Sanctions on Indian imports of oil from Iran and Venezuela(5) U.S’s new demand that India must not allow Chinese telecom major Huawei to participate in 5G network trials are likely to come up for discussion.
- India’s stand on S-400 purchase:(1) India said that it has a long-standing defence relationship with Russia.(2) The S-400 deal had been discussed with the Putin government for a long time before it was signed in October last.(3) From a legal point of view, India fulfils the requirements for a CAATSA waiver (The U.S. law that bans military purchases from Russia, Iran and North Korea).
- Huawei issue:(1) On the Huawei issue, Mr. Jaishankar will tell Mr. Pompeo that the government will balance the national security implications of the Chinese company with the demands of the local telecommunications market before deciding on 5G trials.(2) The Chinese foreign ministry weighed in on the debate, calling for India to take an “unbiased and non-discriminatory” decision.
Source
The Hindu