U.S. business community planning harsh welcome for Manmohan Singh

The U.S. business community is planning to give India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a harsh welcome when he visits the White House on Friday - 'Stop the protectionism'.

President Barack Obama and Singh are expected to discuss ways to revive the economic relationship between the two countries, which is rife with complex and long-standing problems.

The two leaders lack clear solutions, especially under the stress of the global downturn.

According to Politico, there will be advertisements underscoring how frustrated American businesses have become when Singh steps off the plane at Dulles International Airport.

The advertisements have been placed on the airport's walls and in the pages of The Washington Post.

The ads read that 'manufacturers and Congress agree: India must play fair on trade'.

The report said that the policies the American businesses are targeting include India's 'buy local' manufacturing rules, the country's limits on foreign investments in industries ranging from insurance to supermarkets, and its moves to revoke U.S. drug makers' pharmaceutical patents.

As a result of these obstacles, American businesses have all but given up on entering the India market.

Linda Menghetti Dempsey, the National Association of Manufacturers' vice president of international economic affairs, said that Indian brand has been rather devastated for U.S. investments.

The business lobby's frustration is fueled by a desire to tap into what it sees as vast, untapped potential.