Climate change, H-1B find scant mention in talks
WASHINGTON:While the first-ever meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Monday took a unanimous stand against crossborder terrorism and China’s “disregard for territorial integrity”, it skirted a few contentious issues such as H1B visas and climate change.
As far as business concerns went, Trump sought the removal of “barriers” for American goods in Indian markets for reciprocal trade ties.
The US President had signed an executive order to review and tighten rules for H-1B visas, the most-sought-after by Indian IT professionals, in April. Though the crackdown was expected to figure prominently in bilateral talks, the Indo-US joint statement made no mention of it.
Foreign secretary S Jaishankar said the two leaders talked about the digital partnership shared by the two nations. “There is recognition that the Indian-American community has played an extraordinary role in building this relationship. When you value something, it is obvious that you will take care of what you value,” he said.
There are growing concerns in India over Trump’s remarks about his administration enforcing “Hire American” rules designed to protect the jobs and wages of US citizens. “As there have been no immediate changes to visa application or issuance procedures, we’re not in a position to prejudge what the outcome of the review might be,” a senior US official had said ahead of the meeting.
Trump told Modi that he was keen on working with him to promote trade ties between the two countries. “I look forward to working with you to create jobs in our countries, to grow our economies, and to create a trading relationship that is fair and reciprocal,” Trump said at the White House rose garden, adding that removing barriers for exporting US goods to Indian markets was important for reducing “our ($31 billion) trade deficit with your country”.
He also expressed happiness over an Indian airline firm’s decision to buy 100 US planes, terming it as a business transaction that will support thousands of American jobs.
With American exports of oil and natural gas surging, Trump said the US was on the brink of becoming a net exporter of oil, gas and other resources. “We’re looking forward to exporting more American energy to India as your economy grows, including major long-term contracts to purchase American natural gas, which are right now being negotiated, and we will sign them. Trying to get the price up a little bit,” he added.
The US began exporting liquefied natural gas to India and other countries in February 2016.
American oil and gas production have boomed in recent years due to improved drilling techniques such as fracking, which have opened up production in areas previously out of reach of drillers.
Environmentalists, however, were left disappointed because the joint statement made no mention of climate change – an issue of extreme concern in India. Many among the country’s 1.3 billion people are poor, and thereby vulnerable to extreme heat, drought and storm surges. Trump also said little about the Asia-Pacific, though Modi made clear India’s intent to increase cooperation in the region as a check against China’s rising power.
On the brighter side, the two countries pledged to work together against global terrorism – which India saw as a firm US commitment to increasing its involvement in the region.