South India hub of Indo-US biz ties

Terming these areas as ‘five pillars of US-India partnership,’ Burgess said that south India played a major role in these zones. “South Indians make up a sizeable portion of the 4 million Indians living in the US. This region is also the centre of bilateral trade and cooperation.

In south India alone, there are 400 American companies in operation,” said the Consul General.

In economic development, south India is a growing exporter of sea food product to the US. “As Kenneth I Juster, Ambassador to India, had earlier said, India can become an alternative hub for US businesses in the Indo-Pacific region.

Given the size of our economy, there is huge potential for increased growth in bilateral trade, which has gone from approximately 20 billion dollars in 2001 to 115 billion dollars in 2016. Indian businesses too are finding opportunities in the US. For example, a yarn manufacturing business from Chennai has decided to procure a factory in Carolina to produce yarn, to be close to their customers. The US government has helped facilitate these business ventures through incentives and other means,” added Burgess.

India, with the world’s largest rise in the middle class, is in need of sustainable energy. “The US is an ideal partner in energy cooperation. Recently, our delegation helped set up a solar power facility at the Madras Christian College, which meets 50 per cent of the institution’s substantial energy requirements,” said Burgess.

He also said that health is an area of shared responsibility between the two nations, as it has an impact on economic productivity and social welfare. “In regional cooperation, we are working with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific zone.

Disaster management too comes into the ambit, with Chennai and Houston prone to flooding. We have shared lessons which can help make our cities more resilient. In the area of defence, the Malabar Exercise was conducted off the city’s coast, between naval agencies of India, US and Japan. In addition, we continue to support India as a net provider of regional security, capable of responding successfully to threats to peace, especially in the Indian Ocean and its vicinity,” said Burgess.

Despite the strides in the bilateral relations between the two nations, the debate surrounding H1B visa has proved to be a stumbling block. “The H1B visa played an important part in the US economy. Indian workers with specialised skills supplied it to the US companies.

In fact, our Consulate in Chennai is the largest processor of the H1B visa. As of today, there has been no change in the H1B rules yet and we continue to process applications for this visa,” concluded the Consul General.