U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sought closer trade, defense and energy cooperation with India as the two countries work to achieve their goal of expanding trade fivefold to $500 billion. The U.S. hopes to see expanded civil-nuclear cooperation that would lead to new reactors to bring electricity to tens of millions more people, Kerry said in New Delhi Tuesday at the opening session of the two-day U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Other topics include military cooperation, plans for a cyber-security framework to protect against global cyber threats, and responding to climate change. The annual event is part of U.S. efforts to open up a market of 1.3 billion people and press India’s government to quicken reforms easing limits on outside investment. That task has become more urgent as China looks to expand its own influence with a series of trade and financing projects in South Asia. “The fact is that our plate between our two nations is as full now as it has ever been and I know that every single person here is ready to dig in and do the work necessary to meet our objectives,” Kerry said. Despite the talk of closer trade, neither side mentioned a Bilateral Investment Treaty in the opening remarks. Talks for such a deal have been slowed by disagreements over market access, intellectual property rights and legal protections. So-called “model texts” the two sides have developed for such deals are now far apart. “I would not expect progress on the Bilateral Investment Treaty this time around although I am sure many are hoping to be pleasantly surprised,” said Dhruva Jaishankar, a foreign policy fellow at Brookings India. “Although delays in the past were due to the U.S. working on its model BIT, the concerns now are on the Indian side.” Kerry was joined at the talks by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. On the Indian side were Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. A senior U.S. State Department official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity before Kerry’s arrival, said the two sides would also likely discuss Afghanistan and easing tensions between India and Pakistan. Kerry said that the U.S. and India reached an agreement earlier Tuesday on financing to help India meet what he called its “ambitious” renewable energy targets. Swaraj also asked that the U.S. enact policies to allow Indian ships to launch U.S. commercial satellites. “American satellites have been successfully launched on Indian launch vehicles this summer at a great reduction of cost,” Swaraj said.