Washington: India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has discussed key priorities in the India-US economic partnership during a meeting with Jacob Helberg, the newly appointed US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.
Kwatra congratulated Helberg on assuming his new role and said the two sides engaged in a wide-ranging conversation on advancing bilateral trade, strategic trade dialogue, and emerging technology cooperation, including artificial intelligence.
“Congratulated US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on assuming his responsibilities… Had a wide-ranging conversation on our bilateral economic engagement agenda,” Kwatra wrote on X on Wednesday (India time).
Helberg, who took office in mid-October, previously served as an Advisor to the White House Council of Economic Advisors. He also founded The Hill and Valley Forum, a bipartisan effort to connect Silicon Valley executives with US lawmakers.
According to the US State Department, Helberg has worked with congressional leaders on national security concerns related to China. His background includes roles as Senior Advisor to the CEO of Palantir Technologies and early investments in high-growth tech companies. From 2022 to 2024, he was a Commissioner on the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, advocating industrial independence from China. He has also served as Google’s global lead for Search policy and was part of the founding team at GeoQuant.
The meeting with Helberg follows a series of recent diplomatic engagements by Ambassador Kwatra focused on strengthening US-India cooperation in technology and strategic sectors.
On November 24, he met US Representative Jay Obernolte, Chair of the House Committee’s Research and Technology Subcommittee, to discuss opportunities for enhanced collaboration in science, innovation and artificial intelligence.
Last week, Kwatra also met US Senator John Barrasso, Majority Whip and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where discussions centred on India-US strategic alignment, including efforts to reach a balanced trade arrangement, expanding oil and gas trade, and cooperation in defence and security.
The growing engagement aligns with India’s pursuit of a fair and equitable trade agreement with the US. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently expressed optimism that both countries could move towards such an agreement soon, noting ongoing discussions between officials.
