Washington : American and Indian business leaders and senior government officials met here on Nov. 18 to discuss ways to increase high-tech trade and cooperation, especially in defense and information technology.

The officials met at a conference –– ‘Dialogue on Defense Technology, Data Privacy, and Export Licensing’ –– hosted by the U.S. government along with the U.S.-India Business Council and other industry groups. “The dialogue generated many practical recommendations that will help the U.S. and India to continue to develop a robust level of high-technology trade,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Kenneth I. Juster during his introductory remarks.

The conference was the fourth gathering of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) since it was launched November 2002 due to the initiatives between President George W. Bush and the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to stimulate high-technology commerce between the two countries.

Over 120 senior representatives from U.S. and Indian businesses, along with government officials, participated in the conference. The dialogue included introductions from Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology Phillip J. Bond and Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

“Technology and innovation are vital to competitiveness, critical to sustaining economic growth, and creating increased opportunities for international collaboration. The U.S.-India relationship will benefit from today’s dialogue,” said Bond.

The HTCG, co-chaired by Juster and Saran, consists of senior representatives from each government and seeks to create a favorable environment for high-technology trade and

collaboration, while enhancing the security related to such trade.

Participants in the defense technology roundtable explored U.S. and Indian government policies concerning defense cooperation and procurement, as well as issues confronting U.S. companies interested in the Indian market. During the data privacy roundtable, participants focused on various approaches to protecting data, an issue that is critical to the continued growth of information technology industries.

The forum also included a session on explaining various aspects of the U.S. dual-use and munitions licensing processes.

The dialogue built on the three previous HTCG public-private forums, which were held in Washington in July 2003, in Bangalore, India, in November 2003, and in New Delhi in October 2004.