Why is it in news?
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Opening up trade with India is a key priority of the Trump administration, a senior official of the U.S. State Department has said.
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Briefing reporters on the administration’s Asia-Pacific policy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice G. Wells ”” the highest ranking official for the region ”” also welcomed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement in support of peace in South Asia.
Indian Ocean Conference
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Ms. Wells will be participating in the Indian Ocean Conference in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi on August 27-28, organised by think tank India Foundation.
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Delegates from 43 countries, including China, India, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam, are scheduled to participate in the event.
Strategic objective to Indo-American cooperation
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Bilateral trade is now at about $126 billion, an increase of more than $10 billion from last year.
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critical purchases by Indian firms in the aviation, commercial aviation sector; energy sector;
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Defence contracts from India for U.S firms now total $18 billion.
Source
The Hindu