White House on India - How does an American feel when he calls an Airline or a Credit Card company and an Indian answers the phone?
THE White House Officials conducted a series of Press Meets to unveil the President's Asia tour.
They said,
We worked very closely with India in the context of the G20, and the G20 was really all about bringing countries like India to the table on economic - on global economic issues. And we have a very strong and growing bilateral relationship.
With 1.2 billion people and an economy growing - expected to grow at 8 percent a year for the next several years, we really see India as a potentially very important market for U.S. Exports.
U.S. exports have already -- goods exports have already quadrupled over the last seven years to about USD 17 billion. And service exports have tripled to about $10 billion a year. So it's a fast-growing economic relationship. And it's a two-way street as well. Indian companies are the second-fastest-growing investors in the United States. And they are creating - they now support about 57,000 jobs here in the U.S.
So it's a great market for U.S. exports. It's a good place - source of investment for the United States. There are a lot of jobs in the United States tied to both of those things. And that's the reason why the President will be there, focusing, on the first day on the economic and commercial relationship...
And a couple of questions and the American Babu's answers – they are same everywhere!
Q. Just to briefly follow on that, I wonder how will he deal from a communications standpoint with the concern that many Americans express that so many jobs are being outsourced to India - that when you call a credit card company or an airline, the phone is picked up by somebody in India? Will he acknowledge and address that in any way?
A. Look, India is in many ways fundamental to his economic message and has been for many years. I think, we are -- and I think we'll see as we get closer -- not just the genuine potential of the market for American companies but some tangible impact in supporting and creating jobs here in America.
Q. So he's okay with the number of times Americans pick up the phone and they get somebody in India answering their questions so long as other exports have greater access there?
A. That is not to say that given the size and the emergence of the market, that we're going to ignore opportunities for companies - big, recognizable companies here in the United States to sell and distribute their goods in India, which creates jobs back here in America.