India’s Foreign Affairs Secretary S Jaishankar will visit Washington this week for talks with the new US administration, an External Affairs Ministry official said on Sunday.
The Indian official is expected to discuss with American officials India’s concerns over proposed US legislation that could make it harder for companies to replace American workers with those from India and other countries. Also on the agenda during Jaishankar’s four-day visit is safety for foreigners following a Kansas City bar shooting that killed an Indian engineer and wounded another.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup did not give details, but news reports said that Jaishankar would meet with US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Tom Shannon and other officials. President Donald Trump has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the United States later this year.
US-India relations generally prospered under the Obama administration, but New Delhi will be hoping that Trump takes a tougher line on Pakistan, which receives substantial US aid. However, Trump’s strong stand against exporting US jobs has raised concerns in India, which has a thriving industry for American companies that offshore customer service call centres.
