Kerry in India to boost strategic, commercial ties
US Secretary of State John Kerry is in India for strategic and commercial talks as the two countries try to improve security and economic ties, in part to counter China’s growing influence.
Kerry, along with US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, is leading the American delegation to India for the second strategic dialogue between the two nations.
The US and India have set an ambitious goal of increasing annual trade to around $500 billion.
"I'm very, very confident that we will continue to strengthen what President Obama has called the defining partnership of the 21st century," Kerry said in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Kerry will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday during the two-day visit.
The top US diplomat also expressed hope that a deal to provide nuclear energy assistance to India would move ahead.
"We also hope to see our civil nuclear cooperation take shape in the form of new reactors that will deliver reliable electricity to tens of millions of Indian households," he said.
SS
