Trump-Modi Meeting Can Set a Stage for Tech to Bolster U.S.-India Economic Growth

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is coming to Washington, D.C. next week for his first meeting with President Donald Trump since the president took office. While defense cooperation between the two countries will likely dominate their talks, this first meeting between these two important leaders also presents an opportunity to address economic cooperation in ways that will serve to make both the United States and India more prosperous. The tech industry and its critical role in strengthening both economies should be at the top of their agenda.

In order to ensure both economies continue to advance, it is important for the U.S. government to address specific concerns about how India treats U.S. and global technology companies. These concerns can be addressed by: (1) asking India to refrain from applying overly burdensome product testing and certification regimes; (2) holding India accountable to its information and communications technology product tariff commitments; and (3) cooperating with India to promote interoperable, internationally oriented cybersecurity and privacy regimes that allow the free flow of data across borders. If addressed appropriately, taking these steps can bolster an already thriving relationship, and serve the shared desire of both leaders for economic growth and job creation in their countries.

That is why we have been consistently engaged on technology policy in India. The global tech sector wants to bring our innovative goods and services to India to accelerate India’s continued development into a world-class economy – but we face substantial barriers. To that end, we are creating a comprehensive whitepaper to demonstrate the wide-ranging issues that our companies face. We plan to share that expansive paper soon, and will continue to highlight these barriers and share productive alternatives.

Additionally, as the U.S.-India relationship opens this new chapter with the Trump Administration, we are sharing an overview of our policy priorities to offer a marker for a larger conversation regarding our concerns and hopes for Indian technology policy.

We are optimistic about India’s future in the global economy, and, in particular, the global technology ecosystem. The U.S.-India relationship is of the utmost importance for that future, and we look forward to being part of the conversations that drives that relationship towards success.

Public Policy Tags: Trade & Investment

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