On the 13th, it was reported that such negotiations are underway between the U.S. and India, citing related orthodox sources.
As India has expressed its willingness to purchase armed drones from the U.S., attention is being paid to whether the actual contract will be made during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the U.S. The Indian government is at odds with China, including border disputes, so it is seen as a response to the Chinese drone unit.The size of the drone that India wants to purchase from the U.S. is said to range from about $2 billion to $3 billion. After Modi’s visit to the U.S. was confirmed, the U.S. State Department, the Defense Department and the White House mentioned the possibility of trading up to 30 General Atomics’ MQ-9B drones to India, sources said.

They said they could show progress in trading for 30 MQ-9B Sigid drones.
In addition, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi are expected to discuss joint production of armored vehicles and military supplies, sources said. As President Biden is paying special attention to the Indo-Pacific region against China’s expansion of influence, high-tech military technology cooperation between the two countries is expected to increase further. In particular, attention is being paid to whether India, which continues its economic cooperation with Russia amid the prolonged Ukrainian war, will affect India’s future diplomatic relations if the drone purchase process with the U.S. is completed this time.

“It will be a decision that the Indian government has to make,” a senior Biden administration official said. Meanwhile, the U.S. believes that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the U.S. will serve as an opportunity to solidify what President Biden called a “defining relationship.” U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinkon said at the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) in Washington the previous day that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the U.S., which begins on the 22nd, will be “historic.” Blinkon said the U.S. and India are making “transformational investments” to strengthen key facilities being pursued by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, stressing that this will help the two economies become more productive and attractive to investors.

JULIE KIM

US ASIA JOURNAL

The U.S. initially imposed travel restrictions on foreigners from countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, China, India, Brazil, and more at the beginning of the pandemic. Many of these countries were exhibiting high numbers of coronavirus cases, which led the White House to take action.

On October 25, Biden signed off on an order that would allow foreigners into U.S land. He stated, “It is in the interests of the United States to move away from the country-by-country restrictions previously applied during the COVID-19 pandemic and to adopt an air travel policy that relies primarily on vaccination to advance the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States.”

In order to enter the United States as a foreigner, you would have to show proof of vaccination that has been approved under the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines. Those vaccines include Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca-Oxford, Sinopharm, and Sinovac. The list excludes the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, due to the WHO flagging manufacturing concerns.

Unvaccinated travelers may still be able to enter the U.S. with certain exceptions, such as those who are allergic to the COVID-19 vaccines and those who have participated in vaccine trials.

However, despite being fully vaccinated, the United States government still requires people to take a coronavirus test three days before their trip (one day before for those who are unvaccinated). Once they arrive, the CDC requires visitors to take another COVID test within 3-5 days after landing. Travelers are also supposed to self-quarantine for a week.

In accordance with the news of travel restrictions being lifted, U.S. airline, hotel and cruise industry stocks went up by small margins. This is exciting considering that international airline travel has been down by nearly half during the summer and over 20% since pre-COVID times. Now airlines are seeing a stark increase in international ticket sales, which would hopefully aid tourism in the United States immensely.

The mandate would potentially boost the number of vaccinated adults in areas where rates are lower than average. Some businesses have been actively pushing this as a requirement for their employees otherwise they would risk termination; according to employers, a majority of their employees have complied with these rules. As of now, about 25% percent of companies based in the U.S. are making it mandatory for their employees to be fully vaccinated by December 8 of this year. The White House also believes that an increase in vaccination rates would have more people back in the labor force.

Certain major cities in the U.S. have also taken an extra step to encourage people to get vaccinated. The city of Los Angeles recently announced that proof of vaccination will now be required to dine indoors. New York City has also implemented a mandate that all school teachers must be fully vaccinated.

On top of state-wide mandates, federal mandates for U.S. service members have also taken place. The Pentagon announced that military personnel have until November 28 of this year to receive the coronavirus vaccine; however there are still a number of service members who are either unvaccinated or partially. Defense officials have continued to issue warnings about extremely rare exemption cases and potential punishment for those who resist against the rules.

Due to the increase in vaccination rates, the U.S. is celebrating the decline of Covid-19 cases and many Americans are anticipating a joyful holiday season without any further restrictions of complications. Dr. Anthony Fauci insists that this is due to complying with public health precautions while being fully vaccinated.

Experts also expressed concern about the upcoming holidays as temperatures begin to drop and more people are inclined to gather indoors where there is less air circulation, potentially increasing transmission. They fear a mirroring effect of last winter’s deadly surge and continue to encourage everyone to wear their masks indoors and avoid large gatherings as much as possible.

Julie Kim

Asia Journal