New Delhi: US Ambassador Sergio Gore on Friday said there is no better partnership than India and the US to work together on critical and emerging technologies that are reshaping the global balance of power.Speaking days after a visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that was aimed at addressing the rift in ties, although Rubio said relations were already on strong terms, Gore said the Trump administration has identified new centers of power and he believes “India matters now”.Gore also talked about the “dynamic” US-India space partnership, emphasizing that it addresses emerging threats, advances the peaceful uses of space, “provides a balance to China’s influence” and promotes technological innovation and economic growth.The ambassador reiterated that the trade agreement under discussion will be signed in the “coming weeks and months” as both sides are currently working to finalize the remaining “1%” of the agreement. Gore said a US delegation would visit India next week to continue those talks. Speaking at the India-US Trust (Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology) initiative at IIT Delhi, the ambassador said, “We are very hopeful that the trade agreement will be signed in the next few weeks and months.”He said the US is one of India’s largest trading partners and India is one of the US’s top trading partners, adding that this growth is driven by innovation, investment and high-value sectors ranging from digital trade and advanced manufacturing to energy and emerging technologies, which is engaging not only large corporations but also startups and entrepreneurs.“We are gathered at a defining moment,” Gore said, “where critical and emerging technologies are fundamentally reshaping the global balance of power.”
