Agreement between US and India could hasten re-organization of world supply chains impacting China
Technological conflict
An agreement between the US and India concerning the development of semiconductors, AI, and telecommunications has caused quite a stir in Beijing. India has had the opportunity to gain from a reshuffling of the global supply chain, but its arrangement with Washington could be hindered by bureaucratic issues
Analysts suggest the recent US-India alliance - which focuses on semiconductors, AI, and telecommunications - could hasten the restructuring of global supply chains, to the detriment of China's influence.
Last Tuesday, the information revealed about the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) included plans to collaborate on quantum computing and defence. The agreement between the US and India is regarded as an effort to constrain China's part in worldwide supply chains, even though Beijing is not specifically mentioned in the document.
Chinese government officials have been vocal in their worries about the US's attempts to disconnect economically and technologically from the country. The response to this initiative has been strong in Beijing.
In the past week, the People's Daily has published multiple editorials by Zhong Sheng, a pseudonym that stands for the view of the Chinese Communist Party's media arm. These pieces have accused the US of influencing allies to form coalitions in order to impede China's progress. India was not explicitly mentioned in these articles
Washington appears to be open to deepening economic and technological ties with India, which has purportedly become the most populous nation on Earth, as opposed to its wariness of China.
In an effort to protect its national security, the US has taken steps to block China's semiconductor progress. Simultaneously, Washington has promised to back India's "development of a semiconductor design, manufacturing, and fabrication ecosystem," as well as a "skilled workforce," in order to give the South Asian country a more substantial role in the world chip market - a move analysts surmise could potentially diminish China's power.
In an opinion piece last Wednesday, Liu Zongyi, a researcher at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, suggested that the US should involve India in their "friend-shoring" initiative, thus making the ally a "supply chain alternative to China". This was reported by the Chinese nationalist tabloid, Global Times.
India is profiting immensely as corporations change their supply chain operations, relocating production from China due to strict pandemic laws and the growing conflict between the US and China.
Goldman Sachs analysts recently analyzed India's future and found that it might be an appealing place to invest over the long-term, given the current geopolitical issues in other parts of the world. They referred to it as a potentially attractive consumer market.
By 2027, analysts at the Taiwanese research firm DigiTimes predict that India will have a share in the production of Apple's iPhones ranging between 45 to 50 per cent, which is a significant rise from the less than 10 per cent it had in the past year
Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst at New Delhi-based market consultancy Techarc, declared that the US and India would both benefit from the [iCET]. The US would find a dependable partner to help with manufacturing and supply chain, while India would gain an ally to provide the needed resources.
At present, the collaboration between the United States and India is largely just theoretical.
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of Asia Programme and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Centre, a non-partisan think tank located in Washington, noted that the potential benefits at present are more of a concept than tangible
iCET has the potential to provide India with the necessary products and know-how to grow its tech sector, including its semiconductor industry; however, the bureaucracies in both countries can be quite restrictive.
Girish Linganna
Defence and Aerospace Analyst
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Karnataka: Woman delivers baby on train after emergency halt in Dakshina Kannada
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): A woman travelling from Mangaluru to Mysuru delivered a baby on board a train after it was halted at a station in Dakshina Kannada district, officials said on Monday.
According to railway sources, the passenger began experiencing labour pain during the journey on Sunday. The train was stopped at B C Road station in Bantwal taluk of this district to facilitate medical assistance. However, no doctor reached the spot for over 30 minutes after the halt.
In the absence of immediate medical support, two co-passengers stepped in to assist the woman. The delivery was conducted in the train's toilet compartment. Both the mother and the newborn were reported to be safe following the delivery, they said.
Railway police officials had arranged for the woman to be shifted to a medical facility. She was admitted to the Government Lady Goschen Hospital in Mangaluru for postnatal care.
According to the OBG (Obstetrics and Gynecology) department officials at the hospital, the child and mother will be discharged after the initial observation period is over.
They told PTI that the delivery was done in trying conditions. The two ladies who carried out the operation had done a good job. The child and mother arrived at the facility 22 kilometers from the spot. Also, the mother experienced no blood loss or any other complications.
The neonate has been incubated and the mother is undergoing normal observational procedure at the hospital, the hospital officials said.
Officials said the woman is a resident of Mysuru and had been travelling home at the time of the incident.
