VOA常速英语:U.S. And India Share Wide Ranging Partnership

The United States--India partnership is stronger today than it has been at any point in its 67-year history.  Speaking at a press conference after the third bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Barack Obama said that “As the world’s two largest democracies, countries that have for a very long time been invested in the peace and prosperity of their own people . . . . there is a natural convergence between the United States and India.”

On several occasions, President Obama referred to the U.S.-Indian relationship as "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century." Over the past decade, the United States and India have worked together closely on a broad range of bilateral and regional issues.

The U.S. and India, said President Obama, “share an interest in making sure that we help Afghans stand up for the rights of all groups inside of Afghanistan — that the rights of women and minority groups are protected and that the upcoming election happens in a way that maintains and continues to strengthen stability in that troubled country.”

The U.S. and India are also strengthening their commercial ties. This year, the volume of bilateral trade between the U.S. and India has reached nearly 100 billion dollars, a five-fold increase since 2001.   The U.S. and India are working together closely to further improve trade by removing barriers to investment and the free flow of goods.

To help solve one of India’s greatest obstacles to economic growth—a reliable supply of energy—the two countries have made important progress on civil nuclear issues. President Obama and Prime Minister Singh welcomed the announcement that NPCIL and U.S. nuclear company Westinghouse have concluded a Preliminary Contract to develop a nuclear power plant in Gujarat in India.

Looking into the future, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh pledged to make the next decade of U.S.-India cooperation just as transformative, particularly in the areas of bilateral trade and investment, energy and environment, higher education, and global architecture.

As President Obama said, “We believe that if there’s a strong India, then that’s good for the world, and it’s ultimately good for the United States of America.”