External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said US President-elect Donald Trump has a positive political outlook towards India and it would be more beneficial than many other countries to forge “deeper” ties with his administration and take bilateral ties forward. Is in position. Thursday.
At an interactive session at industry chamber ASSOCHAM, Mr Jaishankar also said that like many other countries, India too may have some issues and will deal with them.
The External Affairs Minister said that there are countries which are seeing Trump 2.0 as a political challenge but it is not so for India.
He said, “We have to create a political equation with the US and this is an area where we score because we have always had a positive political relationship with Trump. I would say that Trump has always had a positive political approach towards India ” Said.
“Like everyone else, we may have some issues. We will deal with those issues, but I will say that when I look around the world today, you know there are countries that are taking Trump 2.0 as a political challenge. Looking at it as we are not,” he said.
“And I think that sets us apart from a very large number of countries. We are in a much more advantageous position to turn 2.0 into a deeper relationship,” he said.
Mr Jaishankar said the US would need India in many areas where it would want to take a technology lead.
Both the countries will have to build an understanding of mutual benefits and relationships as trusted partners in many areas such as emerging and critical technologies.
There are concerns in many countries over the Trump administration’s policy on a number of sensitive issues, including tariffs, climate change, and overall foreign policy priorities, against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.
On India’s proposed free trade agreements with the EU and Britain, Mr Jaishankar said there are some non-trade complex issues.
“In the case of the EU, there are many members. So everyone has their own interest. So how to harmonize it? That is a challenge. But overall we believe it will benefit us,” he said.
Mr Jaishankar said the free trade agreement with the European Union will improve India’s market access.
The Foreign Minister described the markets of Europe as predictable and stable markets. He said, “I would say from an economic perspective, we should certainly make great efforts to improve our access with Europe… In many ways, the risk factors are much lower than in many other parts.”
Shri Jaishankar also said that there has been a tremendous change in the last 10 years in the way major economies view India.
He said that the third consecutive term of Narendra Modi government has influenced most of the countries and political leaders of the world.
Talking about MSMEs and their role in manufacturing, the External Affairs Minister said that this is one of the top priorities of the Modi government.
“We have to create more manufacturing zones, improve logistics and make ourselves more competitive. I think we have made progress but we have a lot more to do,” he said.
MSMEs have to deal with unfair competition and the government has to protect their interests, especially when negotiating free trade agreements.
He said the Modi government has been cautious in this regard and has also sought a review of the FTA with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as the existing agreement is leaving a negative impact on India’s agriculture and MSMEs.
