Invest in a country you can trust, Modi tells US

›

The rise of India means a rise in trade opportunities with a nation that you can trust, a rise in global integration with increasing openness, a rise in your competitiveness with access to a market which offers scale.

NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pitched India as a trustworthy and open business partner for the United States (US), seeking American investments in areas ranging from agriculture to health care to defence in a bid to boost economic recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

PM Modi also portrayed India as a “perfect combination of openness, opportunities and options”, said India had what was needed to power the global recovery post the pandemic, suggested that India and the US could together help the world recover, and reiterated that India’s domestic campaign for self-reliance would aid this process.

The PM’s comments, while delivering the keynote address at the India Ideas Summit organised by the US India Business Council (USIBC), come in the backdrop of increased tensions of both US and India with China, for different reasons, and a search by global businesses with bases in China for alternative investment

destinations. “The rise of India means a rise in trade opportunities with a nation that you can trust, a rise in global integration with increasing openness, a rise in your competitiveness with access to a market which offers scale. And a rise in your returns on investment with the availability of skilled human resources,” he said. Experts suggest that the PM’s emphasis on trust and openness is a clear attempt to contrast India with China.