The private sectors from India, the US and Japan have a key role to play in the development of infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific which has "vast opportunities" for the companies of the three countries to be the "pioneers" in the region, a senior American diplomat has said.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia Thomas Vajda said the private sector played a central role in developing the connectivity and networks that promote prosperity.
Vajda welcomed the recent initiative of US Chambers of Commerce to create Indo-Pacific Infrastructure Trilateral Forum, which brings together private sector companies from India, the US and Japan for building infrastructure in the region.
"In addition to the work of governments, it is essential to remember the central role the private sector plays in developing the connectivity and networks that promote prosperity and bring us closer together," Vajda told PTI.
"There are vast opportunities for our companies to be pioneers in this area," he said after US India Business Council (USIBC) and US Japan Business Council (USJBC) the two international wings of US Chambers of Commerce - launched Indo-Pacific Infrastructure Trilateral Forum early this week.
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"We are grateful that USIBC and USJBC are leading the charge by hosting engagements such as the Indo-Pacific Infrastructure Trilateral Forum, which help support quality, best value, and sustainable infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.
As one of the primary architects of the region's security and economic systems, the US has a strong interest in seeing the Indo-Pacific continues to thrive, Vajda said.
"We firmly believe that upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific begins with working alongside our like-minded partners to ensure the freedom of the seas and skies, promote market-based economics, support good governance and liberty and insulate sovereign nations from external coercion," he said.
"We remain committed to this region because its success is, and has always been, collectively, our success," he said.
Recognising the massive and pressing need for infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific, the State Department in February hosted delegations from Japan and India in Washington for an inaugural Trilateral Infrastructure Working Group meeting, he added.
Subsequently, the Acting Assistant Secretaries from the South Asian and East Asian Bureaus travelled to New Delhi in April for a successful US-India-Japan Trilateral Dialogue.
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