The newly reconstituted India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue was launched in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, amidst a sharp but candid exchange of criticisms between Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, but an expectation that there would be a far-reaching emphasis on joint counterterrorism cooperation.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who chaired the opening of the plenary session at the State Department, set the tone for the Dialogue saying “In today’s era foreign policy is economic policy and economic policy is foreign policy,” adding generous words of praise for India’s growing world in global affairs, especially its rescue efforts in Yemen, which had saved the lives of numerous American citizens.
His comments came even as sources said that the two sides would likely issue a separate joint statement on counterterrorism cooperation, reflecting both nations’ experience dealing with attacks such as 9/11 and 26/11, in addition to the broader joint statement that would encompass a wide range of cooperative initiatives.
Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj similarly echoed positive sentiments regarding the expanding scope of bilateral cooperation which, she said, now extended economic engagement into the realms of “investments in technology, defence and security cooperation… civil nuclear cooperation, science and technology, air and space, energy and trade.”
Pushing back on perceptions that India remained a nation where the ease of doing business had not improved, Ms. Sitharaman remarked that India also needed a clearer “understanding of the U.S. commercial law regime with respect to insolvency and contract enforcement.”
She went on to urge that her interlocutors in Washington, “We understand and appreciate U.S. concerns on market access, but a similar acknowledgment and appreciation of India’s market access concerns on agriculture, processed foods, pharmaceuticals and… textiles, must also garner similar attention from your side to enable us to better appreciate reciprocal dialogues and fair and balanced outcomes for both countries.”
Ms. Sitharaman said “On totalisation we expect to see a much better response on our longstanding demand for an expeditious conclusion of the totalisation and social security [issue with the U.S.], which we are unable to conclude simply because of an incongruency social security regimes in the U.S., which surely calls for a reconsideration.”
