PM Modi's US visit takes bilateral ties to greater heights: Assocham

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit has taken India-US strategic and commercial relations to greater heights, paving the way for immense opportunities for bilateral engagement, Assocham said on Saturday.

Modi left for Egypt on Saturday after concluding his US State visit during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress.

''Prime Minister's visit is being viewed as a turning point in Indo-US relations in a fast-changing world order which would see both the countries emerge as the most influential economies with strategic prowess in the unfolding international political economy,'' Assocham Secretary General Deepak Sood said.

He observed that while Modi demonstrated India's soft power as he participated in the International Yoga Day at the UN Headquarters in New York, the Prime Minister's personal chemistry with President Biden at the White House demonstrated shared cultural values of the two largest democracies of the world.

''In his inspirational address to the joint sitting of the US Congress, Modi conveyed to the world substantive all-round progress India has made in the most critical areas for our country and the world. These include an inclusive and impressive expansion in the Digital landscape with 850 internet connections, online transactions and tech-enabled governance,'' Sood said.

He added that the Make In India initiative has started yielding dividends in electronics and strategic space of defence manufacturing, as is evident in the deal between GE Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics for manufacture of fighter jet engines in India.