From H 1B to PLI schemes: IP Attorney explains why US sees India’s tech ambitions as a red line
In a sharp commentary on global geopolitics and technology strategy, intellectual property attorney and author Navroop Singh argued that recent US policy moves — ranging from visa reforms to trade pressures — are part of a systematic effort to limit India’s rise as a technology and manufacturing power.
In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), Singh traced America’s economic strategy back to the late 1980s and 1990s, when the US integrated China as its manufacturing hub and positioned India as a services backend, following India’s signing of the Information Technology Agreement and service accords during President Bill Clinton’s 1997 visit.
According to Singh, this model channeled India’s vast STEM talent into IT services and software, preventing the country from building a strong hardware and product ecosystem. The US further reinforced this arrangement through the H-1B visa program, introduced in 1990, which enabled American companies to recruit highly skilled workers from abroad. India emerged as the biggest supplier of this talent, accounting for over 70% of H-1B visas.
“The US absorbed India’s best talent in technology and healthcare, boosting American corporate wealth while locking India into a backend role,” Singh wrote. He noted that while there were long-standing complaints of H-1B misuse through “bodyshopping,” recent hikes in visa application fees under former President Donald Trump reflect Washington’s renewed efforts to restrict the inflow of Indian professionals.
Singh highlighted a deeper concern in US strategic circles: India’s accelerating progress in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, product design, and backward integration through the Atmanirbhar Bharat and PLI schemes. This trajectory, he argued, mirrors China’s earlier climb up the value chain, where it leveraged foreign tech access before developing self-sufficiency in rare earths, semiconductors, and advanced electronics.
“Washington envisioned India as a frontline ally and service backend. Instead, India is moving towards product manufacturing, design, and strategic autonomy — red lines for America,” Singh observed. He added that US policymakers fear India could follow China’s path of vertical integration, potentially turbocharged by cooperation with Beijing.
According to Singh, Trump’s recent calls for a “G2” understanding with China may reflect American attempts to block critical raw materials and technology transfers to India, reminiscent of the US’s pressure on Russia in the 1990s to deny cryogenic engine technology for India’s space programme.
“From fighter jet engines to GPUs, the US does not want another China in India,” Singh warned, concluding that Washington is “systematically targeting the Indian economy” to maintain its dominance in the global order.
