The open world we seek demands greater US-Indian cooperation in areas like higher education, science and technology, clean energy, and agriculture. The United States should increase the number of visas it grants to skilled Indian workers seeking to come to America. Those workers help America, and they return skills to India. We develop global ventures that enrich both of our societies, as the Indian-American venture capital community demonstrates so strikingly.

A prosperous India, trading freely in the global marketplace, will boost American and global prosperity. Open trade benefits our economies, and so when voters complain about the “out-sourcing” of jobs to India, I believe we should address their concerns — but by helping them to adapt and compete, not retreat into isolationism and protectionism. The last sixty years have seen the greatest material improvement in human wellbeing in all of recorded history, a story that has trade at its core. That is why I believe that we must intensify our economic linkages.

The setback in the Doha round negotiations was unfortunate. I oppose wasteful, market-distorting farm subsidies to large agribusinesses, a policy that imposes costs on the American taxpayers and further burdens the world’s poor. India also worries about the effect of global competition on its small farmers. That’s an obstacle we can work together to overcome. The United States and India should address these issues as partners, whether it is through cooperation at the WTO or through a bilateral investment treaty. By preserving open economies at home and working to break down barriers globally, we can expand the benefits of international commerce to the entire world.

... contd.