Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the ACIR virtually to speak largely about the "post-COVID world."

The United States and India may find their commercial and defense ties strengthened in the “new normal” that emerges once the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs, a potential silver lining to a trial that has “upended the world” and threatened global collaboration. 

That’s how Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu portrayed it during a Thursday call with the Atlanta Council on International Relations. The Consulate General of India helped bring the ambassador to the local audience virtually, though he noted he hopes to return in person soon. 

The ambassador relayed the latest on India’s pandemic response, though his health focus was somewhat eclipsed during the question-and-answer period by concerns over a scuffle with China in the Himalayan border region this week that left 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops dead. 

Still, the pandemic’s passage is far from a foregone conclusion in India. The country of 1.3 billion is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases since easing a more-than-two-month nationwide lockdown in early June.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has moved ahead with reopening, fearing that resuming lockdowns could spur further economic calamity in a country with a large population living hand-to-mouth. The government has initiated a $265 billion stimulus plan largely aimed at assisting small and medium-sized businesses, migrant workers and vulnerable sections of society.  India’s case load grew by 14,700 Friday, swelling toward 400,000 total. While India now trails just three other countries — the U.S., Brazil and Russia — in cases, its mortality rate is relatively low (about 13,000 deaths) and more than half of those who have contracted the virus have recovered. 

“Our focus is on testing and contact tracing,” Mr. Sandhu said, noting that 920 labs are approved for testing around the country. “We are testing more than 160,000 samples every day. Grassroots women health workers, popularly known as asha, meaning ‘hope,’ are actively involved in contract tracing, and our death rate is very low and our recovery rate is over 50 percent.” 

He added that Mr. Modi has consulted with chief ministers (similar to governors) of Indian states and offered national-level guidance while allowing them to respond appropriately to outbreaks, a federalized approach similar to that of the U.S.

Containment zones have been set up in areas that require localized restrictions. Maharashtra, the western state that includes the commercial center of Mumbai, has been the epicenter of the outbreak so far in India, accounting for about a third of all cases. But Friday, Chennai, a major manufacturing hub in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, locked down again as more than 3,000 new cases were detected.  Mr. Sandhu, however, mainly focused his comments on how the reality of U.S.-India collaboration amid COVID-19 can set the countries up for an enhanced partnership once it passes.  For its part, India sees an opening in the world’s growing skepticism of China, which has been targeted by a growing group of U.S. lawmakers calling for firms to move sensitive supply chains out of the Communist-led country. India is hoping to gain a greater share of this outward flow, Mr. Sandhu said.  “Businesses are looking to de-risk sourcing and diversify supply chains. The over-reliance on a particular geography has spurred the search for alternatives. This presents an opportunity for India ass we seek to grow our economy and create jobs for our people,” he said. 

He pointed reforms to India’s tax code and structural changes to enhance the ease of doing business and improve standards at some 3,300 Indian industrial parks. 

“There are complementarities in our partnership and untapped opportunities,” he said. Some 2,000 U.S. firms have invested in India already. 

He warned against protectionism and underscored that India has kept medical supply lines open during the pandemic, an important factor given its key role in the pharmaceutical supply chain. 

“We are the world’s leading supplier of generic medicines, which have given us the tag of the ‘pharmacy of the world.’” Mr. Sandhu said. “We meet 20 percent of the global demand for generic medicines.” 

He added that research partnerships toward the development of a vaccine would be an area where India-U.S. collaboration can really shine and noted that multiple Indian companies have been tapped to make the drug Remdesivir, approved by the FDA under an emergency-use authorization to treat COVID-19 patients. 

Beyond health, Mr. Sandhu sees ample room to grow the $150 billion in bilateral trade, especially as collaborations in defense, technology, space and energy continue to grow. India is a major importer of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, while the U.S. has become a net exporter of energy.  

These ties can only be enhanced by the more than 200,000 Indian students in the U.S., who mainly study in STEM fields and, as a result, go on to contribute greatly to U.S. high-tech firms, he said.  

India has one of the world’s largest “unsaturated markets” for multinationals, he said, with a young population and a rapidly growing digital economy — one reason Indian mobile giant Jio has been able to raise some $10 billion amid the pandemic by selling off a combined 25 percent stake to international investors including Facebook and various funds. 

Meanwhile, the world is on edge after the deadly brawl in which Chinese and Indian troops used weapons like iron bars and sticks wrapped in barbed wire near the so-called “line of actual control” in the disputed Himalayan border region. Skirmishes have taken place, but no Indian solider had been killed in the region since the 1970s. 

ACIR members were concerned about escalation, a prospect Mr. 

Sandhu said India did not desire but would not rule out. 

“There should be no aggressive action by any side. We certainly don’t intend to, but at the same time we will defend our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the ambassador said, noting that it was becoming evident, at least to India, that the incident was no accident. China has so far been quiet and has not confirmed any casualties suffered by its forces. 

“In our understanding is this was definitely preplanned from what we have been able to pick up from satellites and these things,” Mr. Sandhu said, noting that consultations between the countries’ foreign ministers agreed to return to an understanding reached June 6 to resolve the dispute through discussions. 

Asked by Global Atlanta whether India would block 5G mobile equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei at the behest of the Trump administration, which has branded the firm a global security threat, he said India would weigh a variety of factors. 

“We are certainly not looking to close ourselves and just look inside. We will interact, we will be partners, but we will also keep in mind to ensure that we are conscious — and I can assure you that we are very conscious — about security, especially in terms of these high-end tech issues. Whatever decisions we take will be well considered ones.” 

Learn more about the Atlanta Council on International Relations at atlantacir.org. 

As managing editor of Global Atlanta, Trevor has spent 15+ years reporting on Atlanta’s ties with the world. An avid traveler, he has undertaken trips to 30+ countries to uncover stories on the perils...