The India-United States trade is likely to surpass the previous record of USD 200 billion this year and huge opportunities exist for the two countries to expand cooperation in defence, space besides critical emerging technologies like semiconductors and artificial intelligence, said American Ambassador Eric Garcetti on Thursday. The US is proud to be India’s No. 1 trading partner with two-way trade reaching nearly USD 200 billion last year, Garcetti told reporters in Indore.
“I think this year we will break the (previous) record of USD 200 billion in bilateral trade (between India and the US),” he said The envoy asserted that US President Joe Biden in the past had emphasized that trade between India and America should rise to the level of USD 500 billion given the potential for expansion.
Efforts are on achieve this goal, said the Ambassador who took charge of his new diplomatic assignment last year. Garcetti said huge opportunities exist to further grow Indo-US trade, and for bilateral cooperation in areas such as defence, agriculture, space, climate, energy and health, as well as critical emerging technologies like semiconductors, telecommunications, AI and quantum computing.
He noted transport-related technologies, especially electric vehicles, could be perhaps the biggest area of growth in bilateral trade.”We would like to see India manufacturing electric vehicles in greater numbers. India can export these vehicles to the US,” Garcetti said.
Meanwhile, on the eve of International Women’s Day, the US Ambassador met Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava and enquired about “pink buses” run by female drivers for women commuters in the city. He interacted with women drivers of these electric buses and listened to their experiences in the profession.
The US ambassador said women drivers of the “pink buses” inspire everyone.”No country or city in the world can succeed if women don’t feel safe and empowered,” Garcetti maintained.