5 reasons why Ivanka Trump is visiting India
Ivanka has been championing for the cause of women entrepreneurship.
US President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump arrived in Hyderabad, leading the US delegation for Global Entrepreneurship Summit, 2017. This is the first time that India is co-hosting the seven-year-old summit with the US government, to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally invited Ivanka Trump. The previous summits were held at Washington DC, Istanbul, Dubai, Marrakech, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur and Silicon Valley.
It's prestigious for India as a new entrant to the group. And also, US President sending her daughter to represent the US in India is an unambiguous indication of the strengthening ties between the two countries. But there are other reasons, too, behind Ivanka’s India visit.
Ivanka represents US' commitment to women empowerment
Ivanka has been championing the cause of women entrepreneurs and she was behind US’ World Bank’s Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
President Donald Trump had mentioned her contribution as he announced the fund at the G-20 summit in June. At a time when the US is furthering its commitment to women empowerment, Ivanka Trump delivering the keynote address at the summit, themed on women entrepreneurship, is significant for both the US and Ivanka.
More than 1,200 young entrepreneurs from 127 countries, a majority of whom are women, will attend the three-day summit. According to reports, five per cent of entrepreneurs at the GES are 30 years or younger. The youngest entrepreneur is 13 and the oldest is 84.
#GES2017 by the numbers: Women will represent 52.5 percent of #entrepreneurs, #investors and #ecosystem supporters at GES 2017. This is the first time that women have been the majority of participants at a GES! pic.twitter.com/TX6dzlrYZH
— GES2017 (@GES2017) November 26, 2017
Business on her mind
According to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) figures, India was US' ninth-largest trading partner with a total two-way trade of $67.7 billion last year.
India is also aiming to scale up business. During his Washington visit last month, finance minister Arun Jaitley said, “If one sees the opportunities that the defence and aviation sector in itself offers, increasing annual bilateral trade (India-US) to $500 billion is not a distant dream.”
Ivanka has come with a 350-member delegation, including top administration officials and a large number of Indian-Americans. She will be part of two panels and will speak to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, ICICI CEO Chanda Kochar, Telangana IT minister KT Rao.
Talks of more business partnerships can't be ruled out as Ivanka has already met PM Modi. In an interview, she also explained her expectations from the summit.
“At the Summit, entrepreneurs and investors will have opportunities for growth and innovation through a wide range of workshops, panels, master classes, and networking sessions. I aim for GES 2017 to be a global celebration that elevates the importance of empowering and investing in women entrepreneurs. When women do better, communities and countries thrive. GES hopes to inspire innovators, create new initiatives, and foster lasting partnerships,” she said.
US needs India
India and the Unites States are “natural allies” for decades. That has not been dented by Trump’s H1-B visa policy as India believes there is still room for negotiation. The United States needs India to determine its Asia policy. It requires India's support to fight terrorism and also to counter China. In a recent development, the United States has warned Pakistan of serious “repercussions” after the latter released 26/11 terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
"(Hafiz) Saeed's release, after Pakistan's failure to prosecute or charge him, sends a deeply troubling message about Pakistan's commitment to (combating) international terrorism and belies Pakistani claims that it will not provide sanctuary for terrorists on its soil," the White House said in a statement.
Ivanka’s visit prepares ground for Donald Trump’s visit
The US President had accepted PM Modi’s invitation to India in June this year when the two leaders met in Washington. However, India was not on Trump’s itinerary as he visited China, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines earlier this month. Trump met Modi on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN summit.
Ivanka's visit signals that Donald Trump's India visit might have been in the pipeline.
Consolidating Ivanka’s place in White House
This is not the first time Ivanka is visiting India. But yes, this is her first visit to India as a senior presidential adviser. Her rise in the White House raised several questions as she was on her way in becoming the most “influential first daughter”. This was reportedly the reason why secretary of state Rex Tillerson didn’t allow senior state department officials to visit India along with Ivanka.
Representing the US in the high-profile event, which was previously attended by former secretary of state John Kerry, and Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, will definitely bolster Ivanka’s position in the administration.