India-US express commitment towards consolidating strategic, commercial ties

Kicking off the second US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and the US-India CEO Forum, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Jeffery Zients, US Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and Indian Minister of Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman, along with business leaders from both countries addressed US-India Business Council's dinner reception in New Delhi.

"It's a privilege for USIBC to host government and business leaders from both countries on the eve of the US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. I think this round of dialogue is particularly significant because it will be an opportunity to reflect upon successes and how far we have come in the relationship between the two countries," President US-India Business Council, Mukesh Aghi.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker congratulated the Government of India for its recent policy reforms, and she remarked that investors are enthusiastic and can feel the power of change.

She also said that the Obama administration's goal over the next few months would be to build bilateral cooperation and ensure that the two countries remain open for business with each other.

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the range of domestic reforms that have been enacted under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, while also applauding the states for their spirit of competition that is drawing more investment to the country.

Minister Sitharaman praised USIBC's distinct efforts towards keeping up the momentum of US-India economic ties.

"Less than three months ago, Prime Minister Modi and President Obama held their third major bilateral summit in Washington and pledged to pursue new opportunities to bolster economic growth and sustainable development, and to provide global leadership on issues of shared interest, including climate change and clean energy deployment," said Jeff Zients.

"I am privileged to be here at the 2nd US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, to mark our significant and growing progress in the US-India partnership," added Jeff Zients.

Attending companies included leaders from MasterCard, Amazon, Harman, Qualcomm, Boeing, American Tower Corp, Cisco, Infosys, Star India, and Honeywell.