NEW DELHI: Saying both India and the US are determined to defeat the “scourge” of terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that “the logic of our strategic relationship is incontrovertible”.
Modi, ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump, also said in comments published in The Wall Street Journal that he expected bilateral ties in the next few decades to be “an even more remarkable story of ambitious horizons, convergent action and shared growth”.
“The past two decades have been a productive journey of engagement for our mutual security and growth. I expect the next few decades to be an even more remarkable story of ambitious horizons, convergent action and shared growth.
Modi recalled how he told the US Congress in June 2016 that the bilateral relationship had overcome the “hesitations of history”. “A year later, I return to the US confident in the growing convergence between our two nations.
“This confidence stems from the strength of our shared values and the stability of our systems. Our people and institutions have steadfastly viewed democratic change as an instrument for renewal and resurgence.”
He said the two countries stand as mutually reinforcing engines of growth and innovation in an uncertain global economic landscape.
“Confidence in each other’s political values and a strong belief in each other’s prosperity has enabled our engagement to grow.” Saying defence was another mutually beneficial sphere of their partnership, Modi said both India and the US had an overriding interest “in securing our societies, and the world, from the forces of terrorism, radical ideologies and non-traditional security threats.
“India has four decades’ experience in fighting terrorism, and we share the US administration’s determination to defeat this scourge.”
The two countries, he said, were working together to address the existing and emerging strategic and security challenges that affect them in Afghanistan, West Asia, the large maritime space of the Indo-Pacific and the new and unanticipated threats in cyberspace.
“We also share an interest in ensuring that sea lanes — critical lifelines of trade and energy — remain secure and open to all,” Modi said, without referring to the South China Sea by name.
Indo-US trade, which totals about $115 billion a year, was poised for a multi-fold increase, the Indian Prime Minister said.
Appeal to business: Modi made his most compelling invitation to American business to invest in India, telling them that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that will come into effect from July 1 could be a subject of study in US business schools.
Modi held a roundtable here on Sunday with 20 top executives of American companies. Among those who attended were Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Mastercard President Ajay Banga.
“The implementation of the landmark initiative of GST could be a subject of studies in US business schools,” Modi told the gathering, according to a tweet by Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay.
“The whole world is looking at India. 7,000 reforms alone have been done by the government for ease of business,” Modi said, as per another tweet by Baglay.
Foreign investors too have been eagerly looking forward to the rollout of the single pan-India GST, which will replace the existing myriad central and state levies on both goods and services.
“Growth of India presents win-win partnership for India and US both. American companies have a great opportunity to contribute,” said Modi. “If America becomes stronger, India will be a natural beneficiary.” — IANS
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