US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla explored bilateral cooperation in developing a vaccine to halt the global coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said in a readout of their virtual meeting on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2020) US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla explored bilateral cooperation in developing a vaccine to halt the global coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said in a readout of their virtual meeting on Tuesday.
"They discussed US-India cooperation on a full range of international issues [including] the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also agreed that the US-India health partnership, including cooperation on pharmaceutical and vaccine development, will continue to play a critical role in the world's recovery from COVID-19," the readout said.
To date, the US has provided $5.9 million toward India's COVID-19 response, according to the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
India, one of the world's leading vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturers, is in a race with companies in the US, UK, China and other nations to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, with at least two promising vaccine candidates undergoing preliminary trials.
In Tuesday's meeting, Hale and Shringla also discussed ongoing threats to the rules-based international order, bilateral and multilateral diplomatic cooperation, maritime security and other shared policy objectives for the Indo-Pacific region, the readout said.
