US can play a vital role in helping India address its issues: Nisha Biswal

Washington: The US can play an important role in helping India in addressing the challenges faced by it and creating opportunities that would benefit both countries, a top Obama administration official said today. “In all the areas that the Modi government has identified as priorities, we think the United States, including our businesses and universities, can play an important role in helping address the challenges India faces and creating opportunities that benefit both countries,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal said during a Congressional hearing. [caption id=“attachment_1665829” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Nisha Biswal (Courtesy: Reuters)[/caption] Her comments came as Secretary of State John Kerry is all set to visit New Delhi for the next round of annual India-US Strategic Dialogue. A week after the Deputy Secretary of State, William Burns, held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Biswal, who was present at the meeting, exuded confidence that the US can work in a strong and collaborative partnership with the new government. “The Modi government has identified infrastructure, manufacturing, modernising the military, energy security, attracting greater foreign investment, and expanding access to skills training and education as its key priorities,” Biswal said. “The Prime Minister, in inviting regional leaders to his inauguration, also signalled that India will play a greater strategic role in its immediate neighbourhood and across the Indo-Pacific region,” she added, referring to the swearing-in ceremony of Modi attended by all the heads of the SAARC nations. The Assistant Secretary said that a strong India will play a critical role in the coming decades in shaping the Asian landscape, and the US partnership with India will play an increasingly important role in that context. “If India is to achieve its economic and strategic potential, it must overcome the myriad economic and governance challenges it is facing including slow growth, energy shortages and flagging foreign investment,” she said. “In all the areas that the Modi government has identified as priorities, we think the United States, including our businesses and universities, can play an important role in helping address the challenges India faces and creating opportunities that benefit both countries,” she said. In favour of an early conclusion of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with India, Biswal said this would help support key economic objectives for both countries, from protection of investment interests overseas to the promotion of market-oriented policies and exports. A BIT would also greatly improve two-way investment flows, she said, further adding that it would also be beneficial to the US economy. “Increasing Indian foreign direct investment in the US would expand American jobs in a variety of professional, scientific, and technical sectors that have traditionally attracted Indian investment,” she said. “Trade expansion also benefits families and businesses by supporting productive, high-paying jobs in exports and increasing the variety of products available for purchase,” she said. On Afghanistan, Biswal said that stability, security and prosperity of the war-torn country holds vital interest to India. “India has been an important partner and contributor particularly on the economic assistance (in Afghanistan) and we want to work with them on that,” she said. She said the US also looks forward to seeing how it can expand and build upon defence trade and technology initiative with India. On the economic front, Biswal added that the US is ready to partner with India to facilitate as much collaboration as it can. “For India to be able to attract the kind of investment and cutting edge modern technology, it needs to address certain issues that inhibit that,” she said. Biswal added that American companies are very eager to invest in India and they have some of the same concerns that Indian companies have with regard to protection of intellectual property, particularly as India becomes more “innovator and originator of content”. “Having the appropriate safeguards will allow innovation economy to take root and flourish. We want to do that in the spirit of partnership and we are confident that we will be able to make progress in that area,” she said. On whether the US would exert influence on India to curtail its economic activities with Russia, Biswal said the US wants India to have an “important, constructive and positive relationship” with Russia and China. “We do not see this as a zero sum. We think India will make its own choices based on its own interests…we will continue to make the case that we think Russia needs to abide by international norms and standards in terms of how it conducts itself with respect to Ukraine,” she said. PTI