U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Feb. 8 he will travel to India next week to hold talks with government and business leaders in a bid to boost American exports. "American companies should be exporting more to India, and India should work with us to make sure American exporters and businesses are treated fairly," Gutierrez said ahead of his February 13-14 trip to New Delhi.
Gutierrez will meet with senior government officials, including Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, and will address members of the American Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The meetings will include discussions on enforcing intellectual property rights, reducing red tape for U.S. companies trying to do business in India.
Last fall, Under Secretary for International Trade Frank Lavin led the largest U.S. government business development mission in history to India to explore export opportunities.
The U.S is India's largest trading partner. Between January and November of last year, bilateral trade rose to $29 billion from 2005, with U.S. exports alone rising 25%, the Commerce Department said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2007