Seeking to delink high-technology trade from the proposed civilian nuclear agreement, the United States on Thursday said it was committed to make it easier for “responsible” Indian companies to import dual-use controlled items. “I do not want to make any hard connection between high-technology trade between the two countries and the civilian nuclear deal. We are here to find constructive ways to facilitate trade in high-technology products between India and the US,” the US Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, Mario Mancuso, said on Thursday.“The nuclear deal might open up a lot many possibilities, but there is already a huge rise in volumes of trade in high-technology items in the last few years. Of the more than $17 billion bilateral trade last year, 45 per cent was in high-tech areas,” he said. He pointed out that no more than 0.2 per cent of US exports to India, by value, required licenses. Less than a decade ago, it was 25 per cent.Mancuso is here in connection with the sixth meeting of the India-US High-Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) and said the Validated End-User programme had been extended to the Indian companies which would go a long way in making a number of controlled items accessible to Indian firms with “a demonstrable history” of complying with US regulations. Mancuso held talks with his Indian counterpart at the HTCG, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
