US envoy Sergio Gor to visit Kochi after high-profile Bengaluru trip

US Ambassador Sergio Gor is visiting Kochi after a trip to Bengaluru. He highlighted the strong India-US partnership, noting bilateral trade has grown to over $240 billion from $20 billion a decade ago and that US firms view India as a key hub.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor will be visiting Kochi, Keralam on Saturday amid his ongoing engagement in southern India, following a high-profile visit to Bengaluru where he met with industry and government leaders. In a post on X, the Ambassador expressed optimism over his visit, stating, "Looking forward to visiting Kochi today!"

Deepening India-US Partnership

Earlier on Friday, Gor arrived in Bengaluru, where he addressed the gathering at the QUANTUM exhibition. Highlighting the deepening India-US partnership, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said that American companies continue to view India as a key investment destination, while also highlighting the strides made in the bilateral trade between the two countries that has now grown to over USD 240 billion from around USD 20 billion a decade ago.

Gor said Karnataka alone is home to more than 1,000 American companies, reflecting the expanding economic engagement between the two countries. "The United States is here because we care about being here. This state (Karnataka) has over a thousand American companies. There's not a lot of places in the world that can say that, and that is growing day by day," he said.

Emphasising the growing interest among US businesses, Gor said American firms regularly approach the US Embassy seeking opportunities to expand their presence in India. "Every single day at the embassy, I have American companies coming over and meeting and asking, 'Is India the place for us to be at?' Week after week, we see more companies opening here and partnering with us in identifying those win-win situations," he said.

He also recalled the rapid growth in bilateral economic ties, and said trade between the two countries has increased significantly over the past decade. "Ten years ago, it was about USD 20 billion. Today, it's over USD 240 billion. Those are real numbers. Those are real results. Every single week, every single month, you are seeing more engagement with the United States," Gor said.

Strategic Cooperation Across Sectors

Highlighting the strategic breadth of the India-US partnership, he said the two countries cooperate across defence, healthcare, technology and critical supply chains. "India has more military exercises with the United States than with anyone else. When it comes to pharma, 40 per cent of our generic pharmaceuticals come from India. It goes back to trust. We trust India and we want to work with India," he said.

India's Role in Pax Silica

Gor also underscored India's inclusion in the US-led Pax Silica initiative, describing it as a milestone in strengthening resilient and trusted global supply chains. "When I got here, one of the first items that I was determined to get across the finish line was for India to join Pax Silica. Pax Silica is a trusted supply chain that the United States and our partner countries can work together on to ensure that the supply chain is not disrupted," he said.

He noted that India was among the first ten countries invited to join the initiative, ahead of several other US allies.

Unmatched Interest from US Companies

The envoy further said the scale of interest among leading American companies in India continues to grow across sectors. "Every day, I'm amazed by the interest I see from the United States in India. In the last 24 hours alone, I've met with Meta, I've met with the CEO of Rolls-Royce, and I've met with the CEO of Netflix. That's just in one day," he said.

"If you looked at what my month looks like and the number of companies that come to India, I would say it is unmatched. There is no sector you can name where the United States and India are not working together," Gor added.

Meeting with Karnataka CM

Gor also held a meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and said on X that it focused on the shared commitment to innovation and investment. (ANI)

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