India Gate to Pax Silica: What Trump's new Delhi envoy Sergio Gor said, and what it meant

In a big praise for Delhi's heritage and architecture, Sergio Gor compared India Gate with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Sergio Gor, who formally took charge as the new US ambassador to India and a special envoy to South and Central Asia on Monday, sought to amp up the ties between the two nations from his first day in the office, by emphasising that the friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump is “very real”. No partner of the US is “more essential” than India, he said.

Indicating Washington’s desire to reset bilateral ties with India, which have been hit by months of severe strains, the new US ambassador Sergio Gor said the trade deal negotiations between the two nations are going on actively. (PTI)

Gor, who is succeeding Eric Garcetti, said in his first address: “I come to this remarkable nation with profound respect and a clear mission to take the partnership between our two great nations to the next level. This is the intersection of the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy."

Throughout his speech, Gor made several key points about the ties between the two nations.

Here’s what he said and why it’s important-

Trump to visit: “I was with the President last week, and as we had dinner right after New Year’s, he recounted his incredible experience visiting India, and also his great friendship with the great Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister Modi. I also hope that the President will be visiting us soon, hopefully in the next year or two,” said Gor.

Even throughout the trade tensions between the US and India, particularly due to the former’s steep tariffs and also the ongoing trade deal negotiations between the two, the US President reiterated several times that there’s no dent to the personal friendship between him and PM Modi. Trump called him a “great friend” on several occasions. It was only during his first term in the White House that Trump visited India. With the new US ambassador's remarks, the possibility of a potential India visit by Trump during his second term seems closer.

India Gate in Delhi, Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and Trump's plans: “And when I spoke to the President, I shared with him that I’d just driven past the beautiful India Gate. The president has embarked on building a ballroom at the White House, but one of the additional projects that’s on his list is building something similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And no offense to the French, but I think what we have here in Delhi might have even surpassed that.”

In big praise for the heritage and architecture of Delhi, Gor compared India Gate with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which is a key monument in the heart of French capital; and said he made a mention of it during his call to President Trump. Last year, construction began at the White House for a new ballroom which reportedly would cost some $250 million, which is a crucial project of President Trump. Gor’s speech gives more insight into what more Trump plans to build, which seemingly includes a huge gate-like structure.

What happens to trade deal: “Many of you have asked me for an update on the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow (January 13). Remember, India is the world’s largest nation, so it’s not an easy task to get this across the finish line, but we are determined to get there. And while trade is very important for our relationship, we will continue to work closely together on other very important areas, such as security, counterterrorism, energy, technology, education, and health.”

Indicating Washington’s desire to reset bilateral ties with India, which have been hit by months of severe strains, the new US ambassador said the trade deal negotiations between the two nations are going on actively. However, Gor’s remarks came in contrast to critical comments by other senior American officials in recent weeks, such as US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick saying last week that a trade deal could not be struck between the two countries in 2025 because PM Modi did not call Trump because the Indian side wasn’t comfortable with the deal. That claim was rejected by India.

Entry to elite club: Gor further said, “I also want to share with you today a new initiative that the United States launched just last month, called Pax Silica. Pax Silica is a U.S.-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI development, and logistics. Nations that joined last month, include Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Today, I’m pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month.”

After the Pax Silica was launched last month, India’s initial exclusion gained a lot of political heat in India, with Opposition leaders such as Jairam Ramesh claiming that it could be “related to broader tensions in the US-India relationship”. However, later, top US official Jacob Helberg denied such claims and explained that the United States was keen to start with Pax Silica by assembling a smaller group of technologically advanced countries. However, Gor has now publicly announced that India would be invited to join the group of nations next month, furthering the ties between the two nations in areas such as technology.

The US Department of State describes Pax Silica as its “flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.”