India, the US and South Korea will launch an informal trilateral technology dialogue next year, the White House announced Friday. This will be part of the Next Generation Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) Dialogue — a framework for cooperation between Washington and Seoul on various domains of innovation.
The US and South Korea aim to “hold National Security Council and National Security Office-led consultations with like-minded partners on critical and emerging technologies, including through launching an informal trilateral technology dialogue with India in the first quarter of 2024″, read the White House statement.
Emerging technologies and critical minerals — vital for India’s economic development and national security — are among the key areas of collaboration between New Delhi and Washington.
India joined the US-led Mineral Security Partnership in June, along with Australia, South Korea, France and others, to secure the supply chains of these minerals. This is significant for India, given its ambition to develop the electric vehicle (EV) industry and reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals.
The Indian government has set a target of increasing EVs’ share in the country’s vehicles to 30 percent by 2030. It also announced its first critical minerals strategy this year, identifying 30 minerals including cobalt, copper and lithium as essential for its growth.
Another significant aspect of the bilateral relationship between Washington and New Delhi is the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), which was signed in 2022.
The initiative aims to foster outcome-oriented cooperation in emerging technologies and develop technology value chains. iCET is co-led by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) in India and the US National Security Council (NSC).
Source: ThePrint