'America First', 'Make in India' will see collaboration at GES: US government

BENGALURU: The Donald Trump administration's focus on 'America First' for hiring Americans and the Modi government's push to ' Make in India' will not clash in the context of the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a senior administration official from the US government said on Tuesday.

"America First is not at the exclusion of the rest of the world. Most countries look out for their people, but they do not operate in a vacuum. When PM Modi visited the White House this year, President Trump said that India has a friend in the US. Both countries look to grow economic and security partnerships and the GES is part of that goal," the official said. Another senior official also mentioned the new automotive plant set up by the Mahindra Group in Michingan on Monday.

The summit, set to kick off in Hyderabad next week, will see US President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump leading the US delegation.

"I am incredibly excited and honoured to have been invited for the summit and to lead the US contingent," Ivanka said in a call with journalists from India and US on Tuesday. "The Global Entrepreneurship Summit is a testament to strong relations between the US and India."

This is the first time since the summit was started in 2010 that it is being co-hosted and has been given a theme, which is 'Women First, Prosperity for All', a senior US official said.

"Entrepreneurship is a key focus for the US government, especially in terms of job creation and economic growth. The Trump administration has a big focus on women's economic empowerment,” Ivanka said.

Ivanka Trump will be attending the inauguration of the Summit on 28 November and will also be part of two panels on 29 November, which will be focused on women's entrepreneurship and leadership, and innovation in workforce and skill training. The summit will see over 1,500 entrepreneurs congregating from around the world, with 350 coming from the US from across 38 states.

Asked if US will discuss the issue of religious intolerance in India, especially with a rising rhetoric of violence in recent weeks, another senior US official said that the US regularly engages with the Indian government on the matter.