Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 31
Ahead of a crucial meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers of India and the US, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he was "assured" that his relationship with the US "is in a very strong position".
However, American immigration policies, he said, should reflect the "trusted talent" from India which had always done the right thing in their particular environment.
The minister was also firm that American military suppliers would have to look for altered business opportunities after New Delhi decided to ban the import of several weapons platforms.
"This is an area (skilled immigration) where the US should recognise what is in American interest. And that is in Indian interest," the minister said at a webinar organised by the US India Strategic Partnership Forum. Jaishankar twice mentioned "trust" with Indian talent as if to differentiate them from some migrants to the US who had been indicted for espionage and data theft. The minister was seeking freer immigration policies for "trusted" talent from his country against the backdrop of a severe squeeze on visa categories such as H-1B availed by tens of thousands of Indian every year.
On observations from the US side that the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy had led to confusion among defence suppliers, the minister said: "Why should they be bought from abroad? This is a great opportunity for countries to invest in defence manufacturing. Terms have become more liberal. It is good for your business."
He also sought to dispel the impression that India was seeking a closer security relationship with the US as a hedge to China. "The partnership is not tailored to a particular situation or focused on a country. It is about the larger ability of India and the US to think alike in so many wayshellip;to secure the world and make it a better place," he said.
To the American corporate leaders at the webinar, he described Atmanirbhar Bharat as a programme to increase national capacities, with manufacturing at its heart. "This will open up new business opportunities along with more liberal ownership norms for foreign investors. We are much more interested in global value chains passing through India and using Indian manufacturing capacity," he added.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3lDlHVN
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