Trump hails India for achieving astounding growth

United States President Donald Trump has lauded India for achieving astounding growth and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to bring together the country as one.

"India is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its independence. It is a sovereign democracy, as well as -- think of this -- over 1 billion people. It's the largest democracy in the world. (Applause.) Since India opened its economy, it has achieved astounding growth and a new world of opportunity for its expanding middle class," Trump said at a gathering of CEOs on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit here in Vietnam.

"And Prime Minister Modi has been working to bring that vast country, and its entire people, together as one. And he is working at it very, very successfully, indeed," he added.

Trump noted that countries outside of APEC were making great strides in this new chapter for the Indo-Pacific.

Trump and Prime Minister Modi are scheduled to attend the East Asia Summit beginning next week.

Trump's daughter and White House advisor Ivanka Trump will be attending the annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad.

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) is the pre-eminent global entrepreneurship gathering, and it is being co-hosted by the U.S. and Indian governments in Hyderabad for 2017.