Ivanka boosts Trump’s foreign forays

NEW DELHI: Ivanka Trump is emerging as a key player in Donald Trump's global diplomatic forays, and her two day visit to Hyderabad has laid groundwork for the US president’s visit to India next year.

Officially designated as presidential advisor, Ivanka Trump is often described as a closest aide to her father in the White House and she can play a key role in pushing US' ties with India.

Most US presidencies have been dominated by personalities and families es, and the Trump presidency epitomises that influence. Ivanka filled in for her father at a table of leaders at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg this July — something unthinkable in any other presidency.

It, however, reflected Trump’s reliance on his daughter who was also present in some of his summit meetings in the early days of his presidency. Critics said secretary of state Rex W Tillerson should have ideally been deputed to take Trump’s seat in Hamburg.

But Ivanka participated in high level meetings throughout the G-20 summit, including a World Bank panel on women's entrepreneurship. This was somewhat reminiscent of John F Kennedy naming his brother Robert F Kennedy as attorney general.

Now, Ivanka Trump leading the US delegation at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Hyderabad may give further impetus to the Indo-US partnership which has grown from strength to strength since the election of Donald Trump.

In her address, Ivanka may have focused on issues of women's empowerment and workplace development, but Indian expectations are that she would contribute in encouraging greater US investments in India.

While India may have been unsure of how ties evolve in the early days of Trump presidency, the US president has taken a much tougher stand on terror infrastructure in Pakistan compared to his predecessors.

India-US defence partnership could be stronger than before under this presidency as Delhi hopes for technology transfer for coproduction under Make in India initiative.