Selected excerpts Release by US State Dept.:
For
over a decade, our relationship with India has been on a rapidly
advancing trajectory. President Bill Clinton seized on the end of the
Cold War and India’s rapid economic emergence and liberalization to lay
the foundation for this transformation...As
is the case in all of America’s most enduring relationships, the
U.S.-India bond is between two societies, not just two governments. The
connection between us is not limited to our capitals. The Indian
Diaspora community, the influx of Indian students in our universities,
collaboration between our NGOs and civil society and growing economic
and business interests – all have been pulling India and the United
States closer for decades...Our governments must
harness and build on these close links in the business, academic, and
scientific communities. We have seen throughout our history that where
these human ties and bonds of values are strong, even the sharp policy
differences that might arise between our governments from time to time
will not derail our relationship.
Indeed,
it can be argued that our governments were late in catching up to the
transformed relationship between our peoples. But now the stage is set
to embark on what I might term the third stage of our rapprochement. As
space faring nations, we know that the third stage is crucial to
boosting us into orbit.
President
Obama and Secretary Clinton remain committed to expanding these
opportunities and our cooperation. As India approaches national
elections in the coming months, we look forward to developing a
comprehensive agenda – doing more bilaterally, regionally, and
globally, across the full spectrum of economic, political and security
challenges
Our
economic ties have played a major role in bringing our two countries
together. The entrepreneurship and innovation of India’s private
sector, combined with economic reforms implemented by its government,
have contributed to a doubling in bilateral trade from $21 billion to
$44 billion between our two countries between 2004 and 2008. But we
have much more we can do in the future such as negotiating a bilateral
investment treaty; removing tariff and non-tariff trade barriers
between our countries; improving enforcement of intellectual property
rights; and opening avenues for the private sector to engage directly
by loosening government restrictions and actively promoting trade in
areas of mutual interest.
One
of the more promising opportunities for deepening economic engagement
concerns India’s ongoing development challenge -- to bridge the gap
between its vibrant middle class and its still too persistent urban and
rural poverty. An estimated 700 million Indians still live under $2 a
day. The U.S. and India should leverage existing business and
scientific community ties, seeking to establish public-private
partnerships to catalyze technological advancements in the fields of
education, energy, health, and agriculture that will improve the lives
of average Indians, stimulate small and medium enterprises in India,
and grow markets for U.S. goods and services. Two excellent means of
accomplishing these goals are through the CEO Forum, led by CEOs from
leading American and Indian businesses who make recommendations for
removal of barriers to growth in trade and investment, and the Trade
Policy Forum, which seeks to improve the business environment in areas
such as trade, investment, services, and agriculture...
But
the future of our relationship depends on more than strengthening
bilateral ties and engagement. As India emerges as one of the world’s
leading economic and political powers, the central question is how the
United States and India can work together to address the regional and
global challenges that no one country alone can solve...We
will begin this work next week in London, where the G-20 leaders will
meet to discuss how to address both the near term and systemic
challenges posed by the global financial crisis, and where President
Obama and Prime Minister Singh will have a chance to meet face to face
to share views. It is vital that together we take steps to foster
growth, enhance transparent regulation, and keep our markets open to
global trade...
Next
year, we will have another opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to
building the structures of global cooperation with the
Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference. Forty years after the
adoption of the NPT, the world is now on the brink of the danger that
President Kennedy so eloquently warned about – uncontrolled nuclear
proliferation – but in an environment even more dangerous than the one
he envisioned, with the prospect of the nuclear capabilities falling
into the hands of terrorists. Both the United States and India have a
responsibility to craft a strengthened NPT regime that fosters safe,
affordable nuclear power to help the globe’s energy and environment
needs, while assuring against the spread of nuclear weapons. President
Obama has pledged U.S. leadership in meeting our obligations as the
world’s most powerful nuclear state, but India has a special role, and
responsibility, as well...
In
the nearer term, the United States and India must work together to help
address what is one of the most urgent security challenges facing us –
to work with the democratic governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to
root out the violent forces that threaten the stability of the region
and pose a direct danger to the Indian and American homelands. ...we will gather in The
Hague, under the chairmanship of the United Nations and the Dutch, to
develop a collaborative program involving all of Afghanistan’s
neighbors and key donors. Later in April, the friends of democratic
Pakistan will meet to pledge support for Pakistan’s efforts to
strengthen its economy and institutions to meet the existential threats
they face. As President Zardari and the Pakistani government take the
courageous steps needed to confront and eliminate extremists, India and
the United States must work together with all of our international
partners to support them and to further their effort.
...As
we embark on this critical third stage of our lift-off, we should do so
with a clear-eyed recognition that we will not always agree on how best
to address the vital challenges of our times. Our history, geography
and economic development are different, and will inevitably lead to
some divergence of perspectives. But our common values – and our
intertwined fate – require us to make the effort to seek common ground.
-- Excerpts of statement by James B. Steinberg, Deputy Secretary, The Brookings Institution,
Washington, DC, March 23, 2009 Release by US State Dept. --
