Tag: JoeBiden

Joe Biden, John Kerry, Sushma Swaraj to Address USIBC 40th Annual Leadership Summit

Ajay GhoshPolitics 0

Washington, D.C., September 15, 2015 – Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and other high-ranking officials from both governments, along with captains of industry from both countries, will address the U.S.-India Business Council on the occasion of its 40th anniversary on September 21 in Washington, DC, to kick off the first U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

“It’s a privilege for USIBC to host government and business leaders from both countries on the eve of the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and on the occasion of the council’s 40th anniversary. The founding principle of the council four decades ago – which grew out of the vision of then-U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger – remains even more true today:  the world’s largest democracies share a love of freedom and an entrepreneurial spirit that – if nurtured – can help realize the full potential of India-U.S. relations,” said USIBC Chairman and MasterCard President and CEO, Ajay Banga.

“The U.S. business relationship with India is one of the most valuable in the world, and we have seen great progress over the last 40 years,” said President of USIBC Mukesh Aghi. “We are honored to welcome these distinguished speakers from both countries – from both public and private sectors – on the occasion of this milestone anniversary.  This level of bilateral engagement and commitment to furthering trust and cooperation has been one of USIBC’s hallmarks for the past four decades and will be for decades more to come,” said USIBC President, Mukesh Aghi.

The government to government dialogue at this year’s summit will also include U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal.

The Council also honors business and government leaders for their commitment towards building a more inclusive global economy. This year’s honorees include CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi and Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group, Shobhana Bhartia.

Formed in 1975 at the request of the U.S. and Indian governments, the U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization, comprised of top-tier U.S. and Indian companies advancing U.S.-India commercial ties. USIBC is the largest bilateral trade association in the United States, with liaison presence in New York, Silicon Valley, and New Delhi.

US committed to take partnership with India still higher: Joe Biden

Ajay GhoshFinance/Economy, India, Politics, U.S. 0

“We are committed to take this relationship further” for the well being of both the US and India as also for the advancement of the international community, Joe Biden said suggesting that the world was “at the cusp of another sea change decade.” To seize this “historic moment, Biden said “the US was pursuing a strategy of rebalancing to the Asia Pacific region” and “America’s deepening friendship with India is an indispensable part of our Asia rebalance strategy.”

“US-India partnership has reached a new level” under President Barack Obama, he said last week in keynote speech on the future of the US-India partnership to mark the tenth anniversary of the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal. The nuclear deal “removed the single largest irritant in the relationship between the two greatest democracies,” he said on the conclusion of a conference hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

“Together we transformed the bilateral relationship into a global partnership based on shared values, interests, responsibilities,” he said. “All of these will go to shape the next century if we stay the course. India’s Act East and US Rebalance in Asia is good news for the region as well as good news for the partnership,” he said.

The joint strategic vision for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region that Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had issued in January “serves as a beacon,” Biden said. “And every day we are working to try to make this vision a reality,” he said recalling that Obama had during his January visit to India had “declared that the US can be India’s best partner.”

“That’s our goal,” he said. “Change is taking place,” Biden said. “It’s a historic moment in the world, let’s seize it. We have a chance to bend history just a little bit,” he said. “This is one of those moments when our common interests are going to continue to converge and our countries have the potential to reach new heights.”

Earlier, addressing the Conference, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal recalled that “Ten years ago, access to nuclear, space, and other forms of high technology were among the most contentious issues between India and the United States.”

“Today those issues are part of the foundation on which we’re building a lasting partnership,” she said.

“In defence, the US is now India’s largest supplier, and we are launching new co-development and co-production projects that will expand our ties and advance Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India initiative,” she noted.

“Clearly, our relationship with the US has transformed rapidly in the last ten years to become a full-spectrum relationship, covering virtually all fields of human endeavour,” said the Indian ambassador Arun Singh.

Indian ambassador Arun Singh
Indian ambassador Arun Singh

“It is now embedded in the larger vision of a global strategic partnership,” he said asserting “that no relationship between India and another country can today match the range, depth, quality and intensity of the India-US partnership. Going forward, I see the US continuing to play a role in India’s transformation, and see India and the US joining hands to make the world a better place for our two nations and the rest of the world,” Singh said.

-+=