By Yoshita Singh
WASHINGTON,
THE core populationofIndiahas
drive and ambition and that’s
whyitseconomywillalwayscontinue to thrive, US Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick has
said, underlining that President
Donald Trump deeply admires
and respects India and the two
countries are going to have a
“great relationship together.”
India has one of the most
extraordinary economies,
Lutnick said in his keynote
address at the eighth edition of
the US-India Strategic
Partnership Forum (USISPF)
Leadership Summit here
on Monday.
“The key that makes an
extraordinary economy is the
determination of the people.
How much do your people care
about being in business? How
entrepreneurial are they?
How
much do they drive to be better
for their families?” he said.
“From what I know about
India, the core population of
India has that drive and ambition, and that’s why the Indian
economy will always continue
togrowandthrivebecause ithas
thatfrom the underpinning and
soyoucandothings inIndiathat
many other countries, you just
can’t get done.”
He addedthatwhilePresident
Trump thinks ‘America first’, he
does not think ‘America only’ or
‘America exclusively’.
“First, he’s got to take care of
homesowe’rebigandstrong,but
thenhe’s going totake careofhis
allies. He’s going to make sure
he takes care of India, who he
deeply, deeply admires and
respectsandwearegoingtohave
agreat,greatrelationshiptogether,” Lutnick said.
Responding to a question on
Indian talent in the US against
thebackdropofongoingvisaand
immigration discussions,
LutnicksaidthesuccessofIndian
entrepreneurs in America, individualsofIndiannationalityleading and running so many of the
“great companies” of America
“becausethey’refantasticentrepreneurs,fantasticbusinesspeople, smart,thoughtful, educated
in every way.
“But I think the ordinary path
of immigration for America is
changing.
The Trump Card is
coming out. I expect the Trump Card will create really an enormous opportunity for people
to have the ability to come to
America,” he said, referring to
theUSD5million‘TrumpGold
Card’, on the lines of a Green
Card, that will fast-track the
process for foreigners to live
and work in the US.
Lutnick said he feels “we are
going to be incredibly successful in India. So when peopleaskme,‘Whenareyoucoming to India?’ I’d say, ‘When I
launchtheTrumpCard,Ipromise you I’m coming to India’.”
He said it’s a wonderful
opportunity for people to be
part of two economies - the
Indian economy and the
American economy, and people will be able to come to
America and participate in
America.
“Here’s the key. You can
become like a greencardholder, the equivalent of it, it’s the
Trump Gold Card. You can do
it that way and pay global tax,
or youcankeepeverything the
way itis and just pay US tax on
US assets, and you pay nothing on your global assets and
no inheritance tax, and none
of that kind of stuff either.
“It will have a better tariff
relationship than most other
countries in the world, which
means India will be the beneficiary of those kind of products,”hesaid,addingthatsome
will need to be reshored to
Americabutthey’llbereplaced
withincredibleopportunityfor
India, which has one of the
mostextraordinaryeconomies.
EXPECT INDIA-US TRADE
DEAL IN NOT-TOO-DISTANT
FUTURE: US COMMERCE
SECRETARY HOWARD
LUTNICK : SECRETARY of
CommerceHowardLutnickhas
said one should expect a trade
deal between India and theUS
in the “not-too-distant future”
asthetwocountrieshavefound
a place that works for them.
“Sotheideaiswhentheyput
the right person and India put
the right person on the other
side of the table, and we’ve
managed, I think, to be in a
very, very good place,” Lutnick
said in his keynote address at
the eighth edition of the USIndia Strategic Partnership
Forum (USISPF) Leadership
Summit here Monday.
“And you should expect a
dealbetweentheUnitedStates
and India in the not-too-distant future because I think we
found a place thatreally works
for both countries,”