The annual AMCHAM India door knock delegation to Washington D.C. was led by AMCHAM’s Chairman, Mr. Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India, from 25th – 28th June 2017, to coincide with Prime Minister Modi’s visit to D.C. The main purpose of the door knock was to inform and sensitize U.S. policy-makers on issues impacting U.S. investments in India. The delegation interacted with many of the important players in the economic relationship and other key decision-makers.

This year, AMCHAM, with knowledge partner KPMG in India, published The India – U.S. Dynamic – Better Together, a document to leave behind with U.S. government officials during the door knock. The document provided an industry perspective on India’s economy, the U.S. – India dynamic and highlights some of the key industry related challenges faced by U.S. companies operating in India.

Some of the main points of discussion included:

• Strides in the U.S. – India defense partnership
• Common issues in security
• Technology transfer
• ‘Make in India’ vs ‘Make in America’
• Implementation of GST in India
• Price controls for medical devices
• Concerns about patient access and innovation
• Increased FDI inflows
• Pros and cons of the U.S. – India CEO Forum
• Readout on the Prime Minister Modi meeting with President Trump
• Trade deficit report
• Re-thinking the U.S. – India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue
• Intellectual property rights
• Trade Policy Forum to address market access concerns
• Reverse trade missions for smart cities
• USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative
•   Global Entrepreneurship Summit

On Monday 26th June, the door knock began with a roundtable hosted by CSIS with think tank policy leaders in the U.S. – India partnership. Some of the participants in the discussion included Mr. Rick Rossow, Wadhwani Chair in U.S. India Policy Studies, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Ambassador Teresita Schaffer, Brookings Institute, Mr. Sadanand Dhume, American Enterprise Institute, Ms. Tanvi Madan, Brookings Institute, Mr. Irfan Nooruddin, Georgetown University, Ms. Emily Paragamian, Georgetown University, among others.

The delegation met with Ambassador Thomas Shannon, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Later, the delegation proceeded to the Pentagon for a meeting with Mr. David Helvey, Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Bureau of Asian and Pacific Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Ms. Cara Abercrombie, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. The final meeting for the day was with Representative Ami Bera (D-CA). In the evening the delegation dinner was hosted by Dell.

On Tuesday 27th June, the delegation met with Representative George Holding (R-NC), Co-Chair of the House India Caucus. The group attended the U.S. – India Business Council’s 42nd Leadership Summit where the Honorable Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States delivered the keynote address. Other featured speakers included H.E. Ambassador Navtej Sarna, Ambassador of India to the U.S., Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX), Representative George Holding (R-NC), Co-Chair U.S.-India House Caucus and Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Co-Chair U.S.-India House Caucus. Post lunch, the delegation met with Representative Judy Chu (D-CA). The day concluded with a reception hosted by AMCHAM’s Chairman at The Boeing Company in Arlington, VA.

On Wednesday morning, 28th June, the delegation met with Ms. Diane Farrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia, U.S. Department of Commerce. From the Office of South Asia, Mr. Jed Diemond, Deputy Director, Ms. Megan Hyndman, International Trade Specialist, Mr. Erol Yesin, International Trade Specialist, Ms. Noor Sclafani, Mr. Jonathan Goldberg, International Trade Specialist and Ms. Bhavna Vishwakarma, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy, joined the meeting. Next, the delegation split up and some attended a meeting with Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) while others met with Mr. Charles Hall, Acting Chairman, Ex-Im Bank. Later, the group met with Mr. Mark Linscott, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asian Affairs, along with Ms. Tanya Menchi, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia and Mr. Brendan Lynch, Director for India, USTR.

The delegation proceeded to the USTDA office in Arlington, VA to meet with Ms. Enoh Ebong, Acting Director, United States Trade and Development Agency. Mr. Henry Steingass, Regional Director, South and Southeast Asia, Ms. Heather Lanigan, Country Manager for South Asia and Ms. Alissa Lee, Country Manager, South Asia, also joined the meeting. Next the group went to the Embassy of India to meet with Ambassador Navtej Sarna, Indian Ambassador to the U.S. and Mr. Santosh Jha, DCM Designate, Indian Embassy. For a meeting with the Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), the delegation went to the Capitol. The door knock concluded on Wednesday evening with a meeting at the White House with Ms. Anjana Modi, Director for India and the Subcontinent, National Security Council.

AMCHAM India Door Knock Delegation 2017

• Mr. Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India
• Ms. Kaku Nakhate, President & Country Head – India, Bank of America
• Mr. Phil Shaw, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India
• Ms. Abby Pratt, Vice President, AdvaMed – Advanced Medical Technology Association
• Mr. Sukanti Ghosh, Managing Director – India, APCO Worldwide
• Mr. Neal Montour, Senior Vice President – Corporate Operations, Belcan LLC
• Dr. Ravi Bhatkal, Managing Director, India, MacDermid Performance Solutions, Cookson India Private Limited
• Mr. Arijit Sen, Director Global Government Relations and Public Policy, Dell Inc.
• Ms. Lisa Schroeter, Global Director of Trade & Investment Policy, The Dow Chemical Company
• Ms. Tiffany McCullen Atwell, Director of International Government Affairs, Dupont
• Mr. Naveen Aggarwal, Partner, COO – Tax, India – U.S. Corridor Leader, KPMG in India
• Mr. Benjamin Schwartz, Director for Defense and Aerospace, U.S. – India Business Council
• Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM India
• Ms. Valerie Swope, Program Coordinator, AMCHAM India