US Under Secretary To Visit India From Dec 7–11: What’s On Agenda?

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs of the United States Allison Hooker will visit New Delhi and Bengaluru, India, from December 7 to 11, a statement released by the US Embassy and Consulates

in India said.

Under Secretary Hooker’s visit will focus on advancing the U.S.-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties including increasing American exports, and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and space exploration.

While in New Delhi, Under Secretary Hooker will hold talks with senior Indian officials on regional security, economic cooperation, and shared Indo-Pacific priorities, including during the Foreign Office Consultations with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

In Bengaluru, she will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation and meet leaders from India’s space, energy, and technology sectors to strengthen U.S.-India research partnerships and explore avenues for deeper cooperation.

Under Secretary Hooker’s visit marks another step forward in advancing President Trump’s priorities for a strong U.S.-India partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The visit comes at a time when Washington and New Delhi are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India and the United States are in the advanced stages of talks on the proposed deal.

Five rounds of talks have been completed so far for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement between the US and India and negotiations are still underway.

“We are at the advanced stage of discussions with both the EU and US for trade deals,” said Piyush Goyal at the ET Startup Awards last month. Earlier, at the Berlin Global Dialogue, Goyal had said India will not do any deal in a hurry or with a “gun to our head”.