American advocacy groups expect new momentum in India-US ties under Joe Biden's administration

India-centric top American business groups expect continued bipartisan support and new momentum in India-US relations under the administration led by Joe Biden, who brings with him decades of experience in advancing the bilateral ties.

"Under his leadership, we expect to see a continued bipartisan focus on India and a broad-based approach to India and the Indo-Pacific that touches strategic, security, and economic issues, alongside climate, health, education, science and technology,” Nisha Desai Biswal, president of US India Business Council, told PTI.

Biswal was the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia during the second term of the Obama administration and had played a key role in advancing the India-US relationship.

Mukesh Aghi from the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said the Biden-Harris administration will provide predictability in the US-India partnership.

"It will have a multilateral approach rather than transactional, focused on China, environment, clean energy and trade. We expect Biden administration to be collaborative and consensus builder in the region,” Aghi told PTI.

"It will treat India as a friend and will be much more conciliatory towards issues of trade deal with India and important issue of H1B,” Aghi said in response to a question.

Biswal said US-India ties have continued to grow and the bilateral partnership has deepened in the past two decades, under both Democratic and Republican presidents.

"President-elect Biden brings decades of experience in advancing US-India ties and has played a key role forging the US-India strategic partnership in the Obama administration,” she said.

The US-India Business Council looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to help US-India economic partnership achieve its full potential and bring opportunity to the citizens of both countries, Biswal said.

She said it is an exciting day for all Americans, but in particular, the Indian-American community in the United States.

“It is truly a barrier-breaking moment, and one that celebrates the diversity of America and the important contributions of immigrants who have made America their home,” Biswal said.

Biden and Kamala Harris defeated incumbent President Donald Trump and his deputy Mike Pence on Saturday in the bitterly-fought presidential election that attracted a record number of Americans to cast their votes.

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Harris will make history in myriad ways, becoming the first woman — and the first woman of colour — to occupy the office.