Mumbai: Post the success of Chandrayaan-3 Mission, the Indo-US relations can soar to heavens, underscored United States of America Embassy spokesperson Christopher Elms on Wednesday. He made the remark, having positive far-reaching effects, during his visit to the Free Press Journal's office.
Speaking during an interactive session, he touched upon several important issues like Indian students and diaspora, investment, Indo-Pak relations, Khalistan movement, among others. “If the relations were growing gradually between India and the US, they are now jumping in leaps and bounds,” said Elms. Underlining that India and the US are two large democracies, he further said that the strength of the Indian diaspora in the US, which is already four million, is likely to grow further. Indian students will outnumber those from the other countries in a year or two students, he added.
Indian diaspora increasing in US
Elms said that the Indian diaspora was increasing in both size and importance in the US with a vice President too having Indian roots. “They (Indian diaspora) are growing in both terms; size and importance. They are in business, academia, government and economy,” he said while talking about the Indian roots of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
On the 'Big India (Inc.) Story' being an exercise in 'perception management' with poverty and joblessness actually worsening, Elms said, “There are all sorts of disruptions and cracks in supply chains that we saw during Covid, which have led us to think that we need to diversify things to make them more sustainable.” The reality of the world today is that you need to be partnering with the governments which are stable, creating free and open exchanges of trade, investment, intellectual property rights and operating by international norms, he asserted.
'Not just Apple, average ones also in the chase'
Promoting the US government's idea of friend-shoring, meaning act of manufacturing and sourcing from countries that are geopolitical allies, Elms said that not just big companies like Apple are opening stores in India, but average ones are also in the chase. “The horizon for investments is not one or two but five, 10 or 20 years. The predictability of the (business/investment) environment in India is what they are looking for before putting the money,” he pointed out.
Hoping that the Indo-Pak relations were normal, the speaker said that the matter of Khalistanis attacking the Indian consulates in the US was being taken very seriously. “The US takes concerns and threats very seriously. Hate and violence are not acceptable,” Elms concluded.
