The US Department of Commerce has announced that the first-ever US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) and surrounding events will be held in Washington, D.C., from September 21 through September 22. Secretary of state John Kerry and secretary of commerce Penny Pritzker will be joined by their respective Indian co-chairs, minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj and minister of state for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman, along with members of the US delegation and their Indian counterparts. It may be recalled that in January this year, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama elevated the existing US-India Strategic Dialogue to the S&CD to reflect the growing significance of the US-India economic relationship. “Since 2010, the US-India Strategic Dialogue has been the primary forum to advance shared objectives in regional security, economic cooperation, defense trade and climate challenges. With a new commercial track, the United States and India will focus additional attention on shared priorities of generating economic growth, creating jobs, improving the investment climate, and strengthening the middle class in both countries,” a press note from the US Department of Commerce said. To increase the role of the private sector, for the first time ever, the Department of Commerce will host its US-India CEO Forum on September 21, in close proximity to the S&CD in Washington, D.C. The CEO Forum is the primary mechanism for engaging the US and Indian private sectors and leveraging business leaders’ recommendations to shape policymaking discussions. The private sector co-chairs will give a readout of their recommendations at the S&CD meeting on September 22. As part of the CEO Forum, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host a half -day event featuring remarks from secretary Pritzker and Indian commerce and industry minister Sitharaman, and a discussion between US and Indian CEOs on efforts to deepen bilateral economic engagement. The US CEOs selected for this year’s Forum include David Cote, chairman and CEO – Honeywell International, who is also Forum co-chair; Ellen Kullman, chair and CEO – DuPont; and Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO – The Dow Chemical Company.
