New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI): India is not China as the two countries differ significantly in their global outlook, development model and approach to international partnerships, Ambassador (ret) Atul Keshap, President of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), told ANI today.
“India is not China. There are so many differences between India and China,” Keshap said on the sidelines of the USIBC 50th Anniversary Special Summit in New Delhi.
Keshap, who is also Senior Vice President for South Asia at the US Chamber of Commerce, said India’s rise in global affairs would benefit both the United States and the broader international community.
“The rise of India in world affairs over the course of the next 25 years is going to be a net positive for the United States,” he said.
He described India as a democratic partner whose political system and global outlook align closely with those of the United States.
“India is a vibrant, wonderful democracy. It believes in the rule of law. It is a peaceful nation. It has good relations with its neighbours. Indeed, it helps its neighbours in times of need. India upholds global order,” he said.
According to Keshap, India’s economic expansion will also strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries as the Indian economy continues to grow.
“As India becomes a $30 trillion economy, it’s going to be a great thing for India and Indians. It’s going to be a great thing for Americans,” he said.
Keshap said the two democracies share common values and strategic concerns that support cooperation across multiple sectors, including technology, finance, defence and the digital economy.
“Indians are friendly toward the United States. We share the same values. We may not exactly speak the same language, but our hearts are in the same place. We face the same strategic concerns together. We work together well across technology and finance, and digital economy, defence,” he said.
He also said India has been building partnerships with economies across the world as part of its development strategy.
“India is positioning itself with the EU, with the Gulf, with the United States and with countries around the world to develop in a very responsible manner, in a way that is good for its people and that doesn’t put other countries at a disadvantage,” he said.
Keshap said India’s growth model emphasises shared prosperity rather than strategic competition.
“The vibe of India is that it will prosper and others will prosper,” he said.
The comments came as the USIBC board visited New Delhi to mark the organisation’s 50th anniversary, holding meetings with senior Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, members of parliament, government secretaries and officials at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Keshap said the economic partnership between the United States and India should also aim higher.
“We ought to be even more ambitious. We ought not be trying to target $500 billion in trade. We ought to be going for a trillion,” he said.
He also called for progress on a bilateral trade agreement between the two countries.
“We want to see the agreement concluded as soon as possible. We want to see details. We want to see an inked agreement,” he said, adding that stronger investment and trade between American and Indian companies would help both economies grow.
“We want to see our companies that are American and Indian invest with each other, trade with each other and see both countries’ GDPs grow, employment grow. I think this is a win-win,” Keshap said. (ANI)
