WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will push hard for U.S. exports during his visit to India, officials said yesterday, as they brushed aside questions on outsourcing and stressed the opportunities for U.S. jobs.
“This really is one of the most important emerging economic relationships for the United States, both multilaterally and bilaterally,” White House deputy national security adviser Mike Froman told reporters before Obama’s trip early next month.
Obama departs three days after a midterm congressional election in which voters are expected to punish his Democrats for high U.S. unemployment which has raised tensions over the outsourcing of American jobs to lower-wage nations like India.
“A key part of the message is going to be that we want to make sure there’s opportunities for U.S. jobs, U.S. exports, and that’s a big part of his mission there,” said Froman in response to several questions about outsourcing.
The White House said it expected several commercial deals between U.S. and Indian companies to be finalized during the visit, and that it was making progress in ironing out existing obstacles to greater trade between the two nations.
