U.S. Business Group Wants Obama To Raise Trade Issues With Modi

WASHINGTON: A U.S. business advocacy group on Friday said that concrete action is needed to remove longstanding Indian trade and investment barriers even as it appealed to President Barack Obama to take up the issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington next week.

"Prime Minister Modi has declared India 'open for business'. But to reboot a troubled and under performing bilateral commercial relationship, he must translate promising rhetoric into real results," said Alliance for Fair Trade with India (AFTI) co-chair Linda Dempsey.

"Manufacturers remain hopeful positive progress can be achieved. We will be watching for outcomes that can put U.S.-India trade and investment ties on a positive track and establish the foundation for a balanced and mutually beneficial partnership," Dempsey said after AFTI sent a letter to Obama urging action on the issues it raised.

Welcoming Modi's visit, AFTI noted his positive statements and early steps aimed at improving India's business climate, and urged Obama to prioritise action to strengthen intellectual property protection and enforcement in India and to remove Indian trade and investment barriers harming a wide range of U.S. industry sectors from manufacturing, entertainment, and agriculture to telecom, solar energy, biopharmaceuticals, and semiconductors.

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