Action, not talk will steer Obama’s India visit: US

NEW DELHI - The focus of US President Barack Obama’s upcoming India visit will be to demonstrate what the two countries can do together on a host of issues from health to defence and trade to climate change than talk rhetoric, top officials said Monday.

“We have some great things going since President Obama engaged with your prime minister in Washington,” a senior US government official said, referring to Manmohan Singh’s state visit last November.

“A year later we don’t want to be talking about it, but demonstrate in clear terms how the partnership will move forward and significantly,” the official added.

According to him, the US had projected its bilateral trade with India to touch record levels, top $50 billion this year and expected exponential growth ahead.

“Between 2004 and 2008, our two-way trade doubled to $43 billion. There was some drop in 2009. But the way ahead is encouraging.”

The official told reporters here that among the issues top on Obama’s agenda were defence, climate change, science and technology, education, health, clean energy, trade, market access, and high-tech exports.

“What concerns US today, concerns India as well. And what concerns India, concerns the US. if we move ahead on these issues, it will be a big push forward,” the official said.

“Yes, there will be issues we will talk about — it is natural to talk about market access,” he said. “But our’s is no longer a donor-donee relationship.”

President Obama is scheduled to visit India Nov 6-9 in what will be his longest official visit to any country since he took over in January last year.

Along with First Lady Michelle Obama, he lands in Mumbai and leaves from the national capital, where he will hold talks with Prime Minister Singh, among other engagements.