HN_ANI2_MUMBAI_ERIC_GARCETTI_11-29-07

ETVBHARAT

1/9/2025

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00:00I hope that as we have an incoming administration that's raising fair questions about trade,

00:05we can use that for an honest discussion about how we can have trade that isn't just about

00:09the benefit economically of each other, but how we can see that our over-dependence on

00:15one country in this world hampers all of our security.

00:19That would be, I think, the biggest and best thing we could work on next.

00:23Sir, there are certain proceedings going on in the U.S. related to Adani in India.

00:26So, would you like to comment on that issue?

00:29No, I don't have any comment on that.

00:30Obviously, we have independent criminal justice from our political.

00:33It's different than a lot of countries.

00:35But no, look, we have had amazing partners with the great industrialists here, with the

00:39big companies.

00:40We've sometimes been funding directly new factories, ports, and other things.

00:44And I would hope that that vision continues no matter what.

00:47Because we're seeing a great new India be built, and we're seeing a capacity of Indian

00:50companies to do that outside of India.

00:53Whether it's in the region, in places like Sri Lanka, or whether it's in the eastern

00:56coast of Africa, I would hope we keep our eye on the ball that that is the most important

01:00thing of who has the capacity, how can we partner, and ensure that debt traps and state-based,

01:07you know, more autocratic visions instead have democratic-led industrialists from across

01:13both of our nations.

01:14And there is also, like, speculations are going on whether or not our Prime Minister

01:18Narendra Modi will get an invite for the oath-taking ceremony of President-elect Mr. Trump.

01:24I can't speak to that.

01:25I don't know anything about the invitations.

01:27I do know that Prime Minister Modi and President-elect Trump are incredibly close.

01:33I look forward to when they will meet together directly.

01:35I would expect that to be in Washington first, and then later in the second half of the year,

01:39most likely when India hosts the Quad, I would expect President Trump to come here.

01:43So it's not about invitations to a crowded swearing-in.

01:47It's about the one-on-one conversations that we'll have that will define the next chapter

01:51of our relationship.

01:53I think about the IMEC.

01:54People who have showed, countries that have shown interest in the IMEC are also very close

01:55trade partners with China.

01:56Right.

01:57How differently do you think this can be handled?

01:58And would you think that would be an obstacle to advancing IMEC?

02:07I think IMEC, it's very important, and the vision laid out by India and the United States

02:10is that we have to ensure that it's built by companies who are not just state actors,

02:16heavily subsidized, creating debt traps for companies, for countries, et cetera.

02:20I think that we can architect this in a way that achieves just that.

02:24So when you look at our Gulf partners, when you look at Israel, when you look at Europe,

02:28when you look at India, it is pretty clear how to do this.

02:31And when I said it's hit a bit of a pause, I didn't mean that the work has slowed down.

02:35The final execution has, but when I visited Saudi recently, they're still gung-ho about

02:41this idea.

02:42When I speak privately to Israelis, they want to see this in a post-peace era.

02:46And certainly the United States has been doing the steady work.

02:48So we need companies that are not going to be controlled by state actors that are a threat.

02:53And that's not something just that the United States is saying.

02:55I think our partners in the Gulf area share that as well.

02:58Speaking about security, economic security is also an important indicator for the closings

03:05between two countries.

03:06How differently do you think the new President Trump's call for tariffs, and how would that

03:12affect India later?

03:15Look, I think we all support in the United States the idea of what President-elect Trump

03:19is saying, that trade should be done fairly.

03:21We're very proud to be India's number one trading partners, but we do have a trade deficit

03:25with India.

03:26Part of that is by choice because we have information technology companies here, back

03:31ends of offices and front ends of offices.

03:33That's by choice of American companies.

03:35On the flip side, I do share President-elect Trump's vision that our tariffs are still

03:41too high here.

03:42I've said that quite a bit.

03:44Some of ours, quite frankly, to India, are too high.

03:47If we want to create a special relationship that allows the flow and sees semiconductors

03:52made here, cars made here, electronics made here, computers made here from investments

03:57of American companies, we still have made some amazing progress, like iPhones and other

04:01things, but we've got a long way to go.

04:03That should be a top priority for all of us.

04:05So I hope the goal is not to launch a trade war, but to use an honest trade conversation

04:10to finally eliminate those barriers and to see fair trade and strategic trade that can

04:15ensure that we're not overly dependent on China.

04:17Two more questions.

04:18Last two questions.

04:19Yeah, we have two more questions and then we'll be done.

04:20I would like to make it a little lighter.

04:21Yeah, sure.

04:22Tell me about how you got cricket in LA.

04:23That's something you...

04:24So an Indian friend mentioned it's great.

04:31You have record military exercises, record trade, record visas, but the only thing we

04:36actually cared about is you put cricket in the Olympics.

04:38So you can go home now happy.

04:41To me, this was something we were working on before I was ambassador, because we saw

04:44that cricket was the largest sport in the world that was not in the Olympics.

04:48So when I won the Olympics for Los Angeles with our chairman of the Olympic bid, Casey

04:53Wasserman, the two of us sat down, you get to pick five demonstration sports that hopefully

04:57then become permanent.

04:58And we didn't know what the other...

HN_ANI2_MUMBAI_ERIC_GARCETTI_11-29-07

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