U.S. President Barack Obama has said his four-nation Asia trip beginning with India later this week would concentrate on creation of job opportunities for his countrymen, who face a high unemployment rate.
“As I plan for my trip later this week to Asia, the whole focus is on how are we going to open up markets so that American businesses can prosper, and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the United States,” Mr. Obama told a crowded press conference, a day after the his Democratic party lost majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, while managed to retain a slender majority in the Senate.
“And a whole bunch of corporate executives are going to be joining us so that I can help them open up those markets and allow them to sell their products,” Mr. Obama said.
Several top American CEOs would join Mr. Obama in India leg of his trip both in Mumbai and New Delhi.
In Mumbai, his first stop, Mr. Obama would address a meeting of top Indian and American business executives; besides having a separate meeting with American CEOs in India that time, including Indra Nooyi of Pepsico.
He would also meet members of the Indo-U.S. CEO Council.
According to some reports, his India trip could alone fetch orders worth $12 billion -- both military and civilian -- that could result in creating / saving as much as 50,000 to 60,000 jobs in the U.S.
“There’s been a lot of strong interaction behind the scenes. But I think setting the right tone publicly is going to be important and could end up making a difference at the margins in terms of how businesses make investment decisions,” Mr. Obama said in response to a question.
“I’ve got to take responsibility in terms of making sure that ... the most important thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector and make sure that they’re hiring. And so we do have specific plans in terms of how we can structure that outreach,” Mr. Obama said.
