In order to help deter aggressors like China, the US House of Representatives approved a legislative amendment by voice vote that grants India a relief from the harsh CAATSA sanctions in exchange for its acquisition of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.
The legislation was approved on Thursday during floor discussion of the National Defense Authorization Act as a part of an en bloc (all at once) amendment (NDAA).
The amendment, which was written and sponsored by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, calls on the Biden administration to exercise its power to grant India a CAATSA waiver in order to help deter aggressors like China.
There were concerns that the US would impose similar punitive measures on India in the wake of the sanctions placed by Washington on Turkey for purchasing S-400 missile systems.
According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US has not yet made any decisions regarding possible sanctions or waivers for India under the CATSAA law for its acquisition of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.
In order to address the most recent advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing, legislation states that the United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) is a welcome and crucial step toward establishing closer partnerships between governments, academia, and industry in the two countries.
To ensure that the United States, India, and other democracies across the world nurture creativity and facilitate technological developments that continue to far outperform Russian and Chinese technology, it argued that such partnerships between engineers and computer scientists are essential.