Regional trade is likely to be "near the top" of the agenda during President Barack Obama's India trip as expanding trade ties within the region can be a "game-changer", a top US diplomat has said."Regional trade is likely to be near the top of the agenda," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told a Washington audience.
With new governments taking the helm in India and Afghanistan, they are redefining how the region will co-exist and grow, she said."For instance, in India, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has promised to implement long-delayed economic and investment reforms. I will accompany President Obama to India tomorrow, where he will serve as the Prime Minister's Chief Guest of India's Republic Day ceremony. This marks the first time a sitting US President has visited the subcontinent twice," Biswal said.
"The Modi Government has put a premium on growing its economy and the markets of its neighbours, including in Central Asia acknowledging a regional growth imperative that for too long has proved elusive," she said.India itself boasts of the second largest population in the world and expects 550 million people to occupy its middle class by 2025.