Press conference by Civic Aegis Advisor Tom Donavon, Deputy Civic Aegis Advisor for International Bread-and-butter Affairs Mike Forman, Deputy Civic Aegis Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes, Under Secretary of Accompaniment for Political Affairs Bill Burns, and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the President's appointment to India
So I'll bang it off with Ben, and we'll accept Tom appear in if you guys accept questions.
MR. RHODES: Thanks, guys. So it's the better -- I anticipate it's the better accumulation of business leaders accompanying a President ever.
MR. RHODES: The President will accept a befalling to see McEnroe aback they land. Q: Okay, but this abundant acquisition is actuality accurately timed to the President's trip?
MR. FROMAN: It is -- the U.S.-India Business Council calm with two Indian business organizations organized this business acme about the time of the President's visit. It's an abundant befalling for American business leaders to appear to India about the President's appointment to appoint on these issues.
MR. DONILON: Well, as Mike said, I anticipate that the attendance of an ample cardinal of American CEOs actuality absolutely does accentuate the befalling actuality for American business and for American bread-and-butter growth. MR. RHODES: On the accomplished trip.
I capital to accord you a faculty of how we anticipate about the U.S.-India relationship, which is absolutely a axiological accord for the United States and one that is a actual aerial antecedence for us and has been from the alpha of the administration.
This is the sixth appointment by a U.S. President to India. But added importantly, I anticipate -- and Bill, you fabricated this point the added day -- it's the abutting step, and an actual cogent step, in a cogent transformation in U.S.-India relations, absolutely alpha with President Clinton's cruise to India in March of 2000, followed by President Bush's cruise to India in March of 2006, and now this step.
India is a cornerstone accord for the United States in India, a basement accomplice in our efforts in Asia. The Secretary of State's aboriginal cruise away was to Asia. That's the aboriginal time the United States Secretary of Accompaniment has taken his or her aboriginal cruise away to Asia aback Dean Rusk did so in the aboriginal 1960s.
An archetype of that is that President Bema has had six contiguous affairs with President Hun Junta of China aback he became President. We accept accomplished actual adamantine -- formed actual adamantine on reinvigorating our key alliances in the region. So -- afresh of beforehand an ambit of activities. We're now at the bulk of these organizations, architectonics out an absolute security, political and bread-and-butter architectonics in Asia with the United States anon and assiduously engaged.
India is the aboriginal stop on the President's cruise to Asia. I anticipate we're activity to accept 17 or 18 announcements and actuality bedding about that, if I'm not mistaken, above a ambit of bread-and-butter -- importantly, by the way -- aegis and political dimensions.
Additionally, our two active of state, government, Prime Minister Singh and President Bema, accept absolutely artificial a actual able affiliation from the aboriginal time that they met in London in April of 2009.
We allotment an absorption in an abiding and counterbalanced Asia. Bill, do you accept a --
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: No, I mean, aloof as Tom said, I anticipate in a cardinal of altered ambit of our accord --
We've done, for example, about $4 billion account of aegis sales to India aloof aback 2008. MR. DONILON: To chase up on Bill's point, President Bema intends this cruise to be and intends our action to be a abounding embrace of India's rise, a way to advance and deepen the broadest accessible accord that we can accept with India as a cornerstone of our Asia policy, above we allotment a ambit of collective interests.
It's not aloof a transactional deal, above you accept this -- we accept this botheration we're activity to assignment on together. Point two, a presidential cruise to India, these accept -- absolutely is an able bulletin to the bodies of India and to the bodies of the United States about the accent and abyss of the relationship, and that's an actual important affair to do, obviously, decidedly in democracies, to absolutely accept an able demonstration. We accept in the United States, for archetype -- an important allotment of this is the people-to-people aspect -- and Bill, you abreast on this the added day -- and I anticipate I've got this right, that there are added Indian acceptance in the United States than any added country.
Cardinal one, as you acicular out, on this cruise the President will be visiting four democracies in Asia. Cardinal two, we accept abysmal relationships with anniversary of these countries in allotment because they are democracies, and the affection of that accord amid the United States and those countries reflects that, reflect those aggregate values.
With account to China, the United States is a Pacific ability and ability in Asia for the aftermost half-century. With account to China specifically, we additionally are advancing with China a productive, absolute and absolute relationship, and I anticipate aloof as the nations of the arena attending for afterpiece relations with the United States, attending for relationships with the United States that provides stability, antithesis and security, they additionally apprehend the United States as a arch ability in Asia to conduct a absolute and effective accord with China. So you see the assorted advance on which the United States, I anticipate as, again, an arch ability in Asia, operates.
We'll abide to undertake the efforts that we accept undertaken for bisected an anon to abutment the aegis and abundance in the region. We accept an actual ample bread-and-butter accord with the Chinese. We anticipate that's in China's interest, and an absolute relationship, as able-bodied as in the United States' interest.
We'll accept our disagreements, but what we achievement -- and we anticipate it's in their absorption and our interest, to accept those aural the assemble of an all-embracing absolute relationship.
MR. DONILON: I anticipate that the animadversion I would accomplish on that is that the United States and India allotment and absorption in an abiding and peaceful Afghanistan above agitator groups don't present blackmail to the region. Q: Is the President activity to allocution about Kashmir at all on the trip?
The United States and India allotment an absorption in seeing an abiding and peaceful South Asia. The United States and India allotment an acute absorption in seeing agitator elements in South Asia disrupted and defeated. And this is allotment of our all-embracing activity in South Asia, and the Indians accept been admiring of that.
Now, but the aftermost point, of course, we'll accept a agitating attending at the aggregate interests that the United States and India accept in acquisition the armament of abandonment in Asia aback we appointment Mumbai and we are at the memorials at the Tag Faberge in a little while.
MR. DONILON: I'll abide that. President Bema and our civic aegis aggregation accompany our civic interest. MR. DONILON: Well, I think, again, you'll apprehend the President allege to it directly. I can acquaint you, as an accepted matter, that we are advancing an adequately acute and advancing bread-and-butter action at home and away in following of bread-and-butter beforehand and greater application in the United States.
