U.S.-INDIA PARTNERSHIP BOOSTS TRADE AND SUPPLY CHAINS, SAYS MUKESH AGHI

As geopolitically aligned nations, India-US are focused on finding ways to streamline trade partnership and integrate India into the global supply chains:

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Mukesh Aghi, President & Chief Executive Officer of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) to the Sunday Guardian Q1 You have been working in the US and India to strengthen trade and business ties between the two countries. How do you assess the current relationship? Well you have to look at the relationship broadly, geopolitically. We are saying that India and the UAS are quite aligned specifically vis a vis China and if you see what is happening in the Middle east both in Israel, Gaza and also in the Red Sea, we are saying that India and the US are completely aligned and both are trying to restore the maritime sea lanes as international free trade takes place. A lot of India's exports -- rice and other items -- go through the Red Sea and so it is important to understand that this does have an impact on India's exports to European and African nations.

As a democratic nation it becomes a partner from a democratic perspective on a global basis. Today India has 10 navy ships patrolling the Red Sea to make sure there is smooth passage of goods transported. That shows a very responsible India. forward looking roadmap for enhanced cooperation. In a move to keep the momentum of the positive outcomes achieved in the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group related to the adoption of the high level principles on digitalization of trade documents, India and the US agreed to further pursue support for the implementation of these principles in other forums so as to strengthen the pathways for digitalization of trade documents. An important part of the bilateral engagement is that our trade is touching over USD 2 billion and the USA is one country with which Indian trade is positive at USD 23 billion as per my most recent information.