US Secretary of State wants ‘data to flow freely’

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday suggested that India and the US can reach an agreement on allowing data to flow freely among countries.

“Can we come to an agreement that allows data to flow freely among countries so that we don’t balkanise the internet, make our companies less competitive and impede economic growth? I am certain there is a way... One million Indian youth enter the job market every month. There are trillions of dollars in potential American investment sitting on the sidelines, waiting to be put to work in the Indo-Pacific region. Can India find a new appreciation for the economic freedom that complements political freedom? I know that we can do this together,” Pompeo said in his India Policy speech here on Wednesday.

“What about reducing trade barriers between our two great nations? I’m very confident that a solution can be found,” he said.


These suggestions were put forward as India and the US sought to harmonise their differences over trade and tariffs in a “spirit of friendship.”