Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday that India and the US are “natural partners” and that working together would strengthen a rules-based world order. This came at a time when worries around the world are growing about China’s growing military power in the Indo-Pacific. “De-risking” American companies can be done in India because the country can give them high returns, he said, adding that American money and technology can help India become a developed country by 2047.
The defense minister was speaking at a meeting put together by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) on “Strengthening Indo-US Relationship.”
Singh said that the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas haven’t had much of an effect on India’s defense industry. He also said that India has become a strong country that can protect its own interests and respond appropriately to anyone putting a “evil eye” on it.
“Both India and the US want the world to be free, open, and based on rules.” “This means that a lot of our strategic goals are the same,” he said.
In any case, our business partnership is good for both of our countries. “The current relationship is based on two things that go hand in hand: shared values and aligned interests. This is a surefire way to make sure that the ties last a long time,” he said.
Singh said that US money and technology can help India reach its goal of becoming a developed country by 2047. He also said that US companies can get high returns on investments in India and a way to lower their risk.
He also said that American companies will need to lower their risk by investing in India in order to deal with the problems that come with the rules-based international order and keep their strategic independence.
The defense minister said that India and the US are working together in many areas, such as space and defense science, because they see the need for it.
He talked a lot about the defense technology and trade plan that both countries are working on to make the defense technology partnership even stronger.
“India is the world’s biggest democracy, and the US is also a big democracy.” Singh said, “The democratic world order will definitely get stronger when two big democracies work together.”
“This will multiply the power of rules-based order around the world.” He said, “Working together will help everyone, not just yourself and me.”
Singh talked more about the government’s goals for the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” program and said that the country is moving forward at a good speed that will keep it from falling behind in the future.
He talked about the steps the Ministry of Defense has taken to encourage independence, such as giving 75% of the budget for buying defense equipment to local companies.
Singh said that this is what made India one of the top 25 countries that ship defense gear.
“The conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas have not had a big effect on the defense sector.” India has grown into a strong nation that can protect its own interests and respond properly to anyone who looks down on it, he said.
Singh said that the goal of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” is not to cut India off from the rest of the world and work alone.
“It’s more about the promise to work with friendly countries.” “The “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” program encourages friendship based on the idea that “the world is one family,” as he put it.
Singh talked about the “sweeping changes” that India has made in all areas to keep up with close nations.
“We have changed our labor and foreign direct investment laws to get more foreign investment and make the most of our skilled workers.” We are also working on projects for the next wave of infrastructure, he said.
The defense minister said that infrastructure areas like roads, trains, waterways, and power have come a long way.
“India is developing a world-class infrastructure,” he told us.
The defense minister said that the government had set the stage for a strong and independent “New India,” and that American investments could be very important in making Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a “Viksit Bharat” come true.
It was a win-win situation for both countries, he said, because India’s economy is growing quickly, it has a large home market, a skilled workforce, and a demographic dividend.
Singh stressed that trade and business are linked to the safety and defense of the country, calling the link “deep.”
He said that defense and security are just as important to the government as business and commerce because “in today’s world, one cannot move forward by keeping business and strategic interests separate.”
Singh said that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) joint project, NISAR, will make it possible for the two agencies to work together on many issues, such as climate change, emergency management, and earth science.
NASA and ISRO work together on NISAR, a project to look at Earth.
-
-
-
-
