‘No bounds to where US and India looking to cooperate’: Tulsi Gabbard

New Delhi: Citing the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, US Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard on Monday said there’s no limit to cooperation between India and the United States.

“I think there’s not really any bounds to where the United States and India are looking to cooperate,” said Gabbard, who is on a visit to India.

India and the United States have been actively collaborating to expand capabilities in AI and diversify supply chains for critical technologies. A key pillar of this partnership is the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), a strategic framework covering areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, and wireless telecommunications. The initiative aims to strengthen technological ties between the two nations, ensuring resilience in critical sectors.

India and the United States had agreed to establish the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in 2022 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to the United States. The first iCET meeting was held in Washington, DC in January 2023 and the second was held in June 2024 in New Delhi.

Gabbard, in an interview to ANI, referred to the vision and goals laid out by Prime Minister Modi and President Trump in their joint statement after the February 2025 meeting at the White House. The two leaders resolved to expand trade and investment to make their citizens more prosperous, nations stronger, economies more innovative, and supply chains more resilient.

They had resolved to deepen the US-India trade relationship to promote growth that ensures fairness, national security and job creation. To this end, the leaders set a bold new goal for bilateral trade - “Mission 500” - aiming to more than double total bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030. The visiting US intel chief said that there are many different elements on which both countries can collaborate.

“So there are a lot of different elements, of course, with the private sector and with our respective agencies as it relates to commerce to see where those opportunities are, to see where there may be barriers to access and see how can we best, once again, strengthen our mutually economic interests by moving forward together,” Gabbard said.

The Director of National Intelligence of the United States said that India and the US had a direct dialogue at the very top regarding the issue of tariffs.

Since assuming office for his second term, President Trump has reiterated his stance on tariff reciprocity, emphasising that the United States will match tariffs imposed by other countries, including India, to ensure fair trade. The US has on various occasions said India has some of the highest tariffs in the world and that this will require a rethink.

The iCET is a unique framework to deepen technological and economic cooperation between the United States and India. It is shepherded by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) in India and the National Security Council (NSC) in the United States and supported by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the US State Department.

Speaking to ANI in the national capital, Tulsi Gabbard said that there was an opportunity to strengthen the economic relationship between India and the US.

“What I have heard from the Indian government officials that I’ve spoken to over the last few days, there is an opportunity here to see. There is more potential for strengthening of our economic relationship and I’m glad to see that they’re looking at it in a more positive light than just one that is focused in a negative way, when we look at tariffs. Obviously Prime Minister Modi is looking out for what is in the best interest of India’s economy and the opportunities available for the people of India. Similarly, President Trump is doing the same for the United States, our economic interests and the interests of the American people “ she added. (IANS)

Also Read: ‘HKU1 not a new virus, less likely to cause any widespread infection’: Health expert

Also Watch: