The US eased export controls for high-technology product sales to New Delhi by designating it as a Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) country, making it the only South-Asian country in the list.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, at the first Indo-Pacific Business Forum organised by the US Chambers of Commerce said that the designation acknowledges the India-US security and economic relationship.
The US says that the designation authorises the export, re-export and transfer of specified items on the Commerce Control List (CCL) to countries posing a low risk of unauthorised or impermissible use.
India will have greater supply chain conditions for defence and other high-tech products. For India, it also means more integration with US systems and reduces the time and resources needed to get licenses approved, the Commerce Secretary said.
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He stated that India has partnered with the United States to improve its own export control regimes and has met most of the export control rules which the US thinks is useful.
According to the US Department of Commerce, items eligible for export to STA-1 nations include those subject to control for national security, chemical or biological weapons, nuclear non-proliferation, regional stability and crime control.
The STA-1 list has 36 countries, in which other asian nations included are Japan and South Korea. Earlier, India had been classified as an STA-2 country along with seven others.
The US recgonized India as a Major Defence Partner in 2016, which allows it to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America at par with US’ closest allies and partners.
