NEW DELHI: India is seeking to bolster its broad and multifaceted partnership with the US, particularly in areas corresponding to commerce, expertise and mobility of pros, and to work collectively for international peace and stability through the second presidential time period of Donald Trump, the exterior affairs ministry mentioned on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the many first world leaders to name Trump after his victory within the presidential election on Wednesday, and he spoke of renewing their collaboration to strengthen the bilateral partnership. Overseas ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned that Modi instructed Trump that India appears ahead to working very intently with the US.
“Each India and the US will work for the betterment of the individuals and to advertise international peace, stability and prosperity. We need to additional strengthen our partnership and we stay up for it,” Jaiswal instructed a daily media briefing.
“The India-US partnership is a really particular and a multifaceted partnership… Prime Minister conveyed to the President-elect that we stay up for working very intently, as we had performed with him earlier as effectively, to additional strengthen the India-US complete international and strategic partnership,” he mentioned.
Defence, innovation, expertise, commerce and funding are among the many areas the place India stands able to do all the things attainable to strengthen the partnership with the US, Jaiswal mentioned. Two-way commerce in items and companies touched $190 billion in 2023, making the US India’s second-largest buying and selling companion.
Noting that India and the US have been capable of resolve all seven of their pending commerce disputes on the World Commerce Group (WTO) earlier this 12 months, Jaiswal mentioned the Indian facet is keen to take up and focus on any excellent points between the 2 sides to additional drive the commerce relationship.
Whereas the return of Trump has triggered issues that he’ll take steps to chop immigration which may impression Indian professionals and college students, exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar mentioned on Thursday that he expects the subsequent US administration to make a distinction for “economically justified” mobility of pros.
“Even a US below Donald Trump will make a distinction in immigration and mobility – that for them economically justified mobility should be fostered, whereas these the place the financial worth is much less or adverse should be managed,” Jaishankar mentioned at a roundtable with CEOs in Sydney, Australia.
These traits are a part of a transfer in direction of a extra built-in international office, Jaishankar mentioned, stating that India itself is dwelling to 1,800 international functionality centres that generate exports price $150 billion.
Jaiswal mentioned the mobility and migration partnership is a crucial a part of bilateral ties as numerous Indian professionals and college students are primarily based within the US. “Our coverage is to not encourage unlawful immigration, we wish authorized methods to journey overseas. India is named the ability capital, and its younger engineers and professionals are going to all corners of the world,” he mentioned.
Referring to US efforts to deport unlawful migrants from India, Jaiswal mentioned Indian residents irregularly staying within the US with out paperwork “ought to come again”. He added, “We have now steady dialogue on this matter with the US and we need to see how finest we will promote authorized migration from our nation.”
In Sydney, Jaishankar additionally listed a number of different penalties of Trump’s election victory for the India-US relationship, together with the doubtless acceleration of reordering of provide chains. “A few of it will actually be extra disruptive, however we in India understand it as a chance,” he mentioned.
The return of Trump can be anticipated to result in “extra geopolitical hedging” as extra international locations will search “extra relationships to maintain life secure”, Jaishankar mentioned. Within the digital sphere, the trustworthiness of digital services and products will come below better scrutiny, particularly in fields corresponding to semiconductors, AI and digital fee platforms, he mentioned.
India-US relations, particularly within the fields of defence, safety, commerce and delicate and rising applied sciences, witnessed sturdy and regular development throughout Trump’s first presidency and below the Joe Biden administration. Defence ties, together with joint navy workouts, sharing of data, and gross sales of superior navy {hardware} have grown through the years, and the 2 sides launched the groundbreaking initiative on vital and rising applied sciences (iCET) in 2022.
