Mumbai (May 10) – Representatives from 18 U.S. businesses across a variety of sectors began a trade mission in Mumbai today. The stop is part of a larger U.S. Government initiative, Trade Winds Indo-Pacific, that includes more than 100 U.S. companies looking to do business in India.
Trade Winds Indo-Pacific featured a three-day business forum in New Delhi, India, led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster. The program includes additional trade mission stops in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Bangladesh. At each mission stop, attending companies meet directly with government leaders, market experts, and pre-vetted potential business partners.
U.S. Consul General Edgard Kagan said, “‘America First’ and ‘Make in India’ are compatible with each other. Investing in each other’s markets is mutually beneficial—it increases our economic interactions and volume of trade, leads to collaboration on emerging technologies, and creates jobs in both countries.” He added, “The U.S.-India trade relationship is growing, and despite the inevitable challenges in a relationship this size, we are extremely optimistic for the future.”
Trade Winds is an example of how two-way trade benefits both the United States and India. Tushar Maladkar of Inductotherm Pune Private Limited said, “This event has helped companies in India connect with new U.S. companies. I was pleased to connect with three companies to explore business opportunities and long term relations with these companies.”
Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, Ian Steff, led the U.S. industry representatives to Mumbai where he emphasized his commitment to ensuring greater trade between India and the United States and promoted opportunities to expand investment ties between the United States and India, specifically through the U.S. Government’s signature program, SelectUSA and its upcoming Investment Forum to be held in Washington, D.C. on June 10-12.
Aligned with the Trump administration’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, this year’s Trade Winds mission will provide U.S.-based companies with the opportunity to explore and develop further business ventures with countries throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Trade Winds, now in its 11th year, has directly supported more than $3.4 billion in U.S. exports in over 40 countries, and in 2018, U.S. exports of goods and services to the Indo-Pacific region were more than $476 billion. In 2017, the mission brought 100 companies to Southeast Europe and accounted for more than $3 billion in U.S. exports. Thus far, Trade Winds has helped U.S. companies conduct over 4,000 pre-vetted, business-to-business meetings and over 6,000 government-to-business meetings around the world.
