India and the US have affirmed to work unitedly to begin supply chains for vaccines.
It will also give access to components to empower manufacturers to produce COVID vaccines for India and the world.
As an external minister, S Jaishankar wrapped up the Modi government high-level meeting with the Biden administration. The two sides improved convergence on four major issues- COVID, trade, indo-pacific, and Afghanistan. The increased corporation over Quad was evident with Jaishankar’s tweets after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He wrote they covered Indo-Pacific and the Quad, UNFC, Myanmar, Afghanistan matters and other international organisations.
Jaishankar held substantive talks with almost all of Biden’s national security units. Including NSA Jake Sullivan, Blinken, Avril Haines, director of National Intelligence. Also, with Defence Secretary Llyod Austin, to USTR Katherine Tai, besides the foreign relations committee.
The most substantive discussion was on COVID and its management. In his public remarks, Jaishankar thanked the US during the largest surge of cases in India. Acting assistant secretary of States, Dean Thompson also made a statement to the reporters. He said increasing the generation of safe and effective COVID vaccines is a top priority for India and the US. Together with their Quad partners, Japan and Australia, they continue to identify options for corporations. In vaccine manufacturing capacity in India and COVID administration and delivery across the Indo-Pacific region.
Sources said the US is working on ways to open up vaccine supply chains for Indian manufacturers. To be ready to work up the production volume. This will help to not only inoculate Indians but also reopen India’s vaccine exports, on which numerous countries depend.
Checks still going on with AstraZeneca
Asking questions on the AstraZeneca doses that could be shipped out to other countries, Thompson said that’s still weeks away. Over 60 million doses of AstraZeneca are still undergoing control checks by FDA. Also, that they will become available once those have been completed.
The US is working with Indian vaccine company Biological E to produce a billion doses of J&J vaccines by 2022.
The US and India deepened their strategic relationship on the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, the Quad, which is the core of the new geopolitics.
Secretary Blinken and minister Jaishankar also discussed regional developments. In addition to the coup in Burma and continuing support for Afghanistan.
