US President-elect Donald Trump has had a positive political view of India and it is in a much more advantageous position than many other countries to build “deeper” relations with his administration and take forward the bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.
In an interactive session at industry chamber ASSOCHAM, Mr Jaishankar at the same time noted that like many other countries, India may also have some issues and it will deal with them.
The External Affairs Minister said there are countries which are looking at Trump 2.0 as a political challenge but for India, that is not the case.
“We’ll have to work out a political equation with America and that is one area where we score because we’ve always had a positive political relationship with Trump. I would say Trump has always had a positive political view of India,” he said.
“Like everybody else, we may also have some issues. We will deal with those issues, but I would say when I look around the world today, you know there are countries who (are) looking at Trump 2.0 as a political challenge. We are not,” he said.
“And I think that separates us from a very large number of countries. We are in a much more advantageous position to translate 2.0 into a deeper relationship,” he added.
Mr Jaishankar said the US would need India in many areas where they would like to take technology leads.
The two countries would have to build an understanding of mutual benefits and relationships in several areas like emerging and critical technologies as trusted partners.
There have been concerns in many countries over the Trump administration’s policy over a range of sensitive issues including tariff, 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 European Union and the UK, Mr Jaishankar said there are certain non-trade complex issues.
“In the case of the EU, there are multiple members. So everybody has their interest. So how to harmonise it? That is a challenge. But overall we believe that it will benefit us,” he said.
Mr Jaishankar said that a free trade deal with the EU will improve India’s market access.
The external affairs minister described the markets in Europe as predictable and stable markets. “I would say from an economic standpoint, we should definitely put great effort into improving our access with Europe…In many ways, the risk factors are much less than in many other parts,” he said.
Mr Jaishankar also said that the way important economies look at India has undergone a tremendous change in the last 10 years.
He said the third back-to-back term of the Narendra Modi government has impressed most nations and political leaders of the world.
Talking about the MSMEs and their role in manufacturing, the external affairs minister said it 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 there is a lot we will have to do,” he said.
The MSMEs have to deal with unfair competition and the government has to be protecting their interest, especially when negotiating free trade agreements. He said the Modi government has been careful in this regard and has even sought review of FTA with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as the existing agreement has been leaving a negative impact on India’s agriculture and MSMEs.
