India’s LA mission eyes deeper strategic ties with US (IANS Exclusive)

Los Angeles, July 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) India's newest diplomatic mission in the United States is positioning itself as a gateway for expanding trade, technology, investment and people-to-people ties across the American Pacific Southwest, with Indian Consul General in Los Angeles Dr K.J. Srinivasa saying the region offers "tremendous opportunities and potential" for the growing India-US partnership.

Less than a year after opening its doors, the Consulate General of India in Los Angeles has begun evolving beyond its traditional consular role, seeking to connect one of America's most dynamic economic regions with India's expanding ambitions in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, defence, education and innovation.

"The Consulate General of India in Los Angeles was opened last year, in line with our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement early last year to open two new consulates, Boston and Los Angeles," Dr Srinivasa said in an exclusive interview with IANS.

"This was in response to the request by the Indian diaspora and also the tremendous opportunities and potential that the American Pacific Southwest holds for India."

The mission began operations late last year, moved into its permanent premises in January and has been providing the full range of consular services, including visas, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards and other citizen services, since April.

"We are right now working on various commercial initiatives, cultural initiatives and at the same time, we are engaging all the stakeholders necessary for improving the services to whoever wants it," he said.

The Los Angeles mission serves Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, making California the only US state with two Indian consulates, alongside San Francisco.

Dr Srinivasa said the region's economic profile made it a natural choice for India's newest diplomatic presence.

"We serve Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and of course Southern California," he said. "The opportunities and the potential of this region were tremendous. And in recognition of that, we are now able to engage the region in a more concentrated manner."

The consular jurisdiction is home to an estimated 550,000 to 600,000 people of Indian origin, including Indian passport holders and US citizens of Indian origin. They are active across information technology, defence, aerospace, entertainment, healthcare, biotechnology, logistics and manufacturing -- sectors that the consulate also sees as key drivers of future India-US cooperation.

Among its priorities is reviving the sister-city relationship between Mumbai and Los Angeles, an agreement signed in 1972 that has remained largely dormant.

"I have reached out to the city of Los Angeles, the mayor's office, and we are reaching out to the Mumbai government," Dr Srinivasa said.

"Complementarities are there to see."

While entertainment naturally connects the two global cities, he said the partnership could be broadened to include logistics, finance, trade and investment.

"The Port of LA and the Port of Long Beach here are maybe the biggest ports on the West Coast of the US. Mumbai itself is a commercial hub."

"We are seeing interest from Indian investors to come to LA. So we are working on those aspects, not just entertainment."

The mission is also seeking to expand cooperation in renewable energy, climate technologies, water management and electronic waste recycling.

"I think the expertise that California can provide us, the expertise in water management which Arizona can provide us, it's second to none," he said.

"I believe sincerely that we can work with these regions to encourage not only these sectors, but also tourism, promotion of India culturally in this region."

The diplomat said the new mission has received an enthusiastic response from both the Indian diaspora and American stakeholders.

"This was a long, cherished dream for the Indian diaspora," he said.

Since opening, the consulate has organised multiple investment promotion events and facilitated business meetings between Indian industry delegations and local companies.

It has also begun engaging stakeholders in rare earths and critical minerals, an area assuming increasing strategic importance as India and the United States seek resilient supply chains.

"We are seeing traction in the development of those linkages and business between these two countries," Dr Srinivasa said.

"The political side, the business side has been very welcoming to India because they always wanted India as a partner in the growth and they recognised the new rising India in the 21st century."

Asked how perceptions of India have evolved across the region, Dr Srinivasa said the narrative had shifted significantly.

"Earlier it used to be only Bollywood, yoga, and... the cultural part of it. But now it's serious business. Entrepreneurship, innovation, investments."

He pointed to the recent BIO International Convention, where more than 52 Indian companies participated.

"You'll be surprised by the amount of traffic to Indian companies. That shows that India has arrived on the global scene."

He said his interactions with governors, members of Congress, state legislators and mayors reflected growing enthusiasm for deeper engagement with India.

"We are able to understand and gauge the level of engagement and the excitement that they have for India as a global player," he said.

Education is another area witnessing rapid expansion.

"We are seeing a lot of traction also in education," Dr Srinivasa said, citing collaborations between Indian institutions and universities including the University of California San Diego, Arizona State University, the University of Southern California and UCLA.

He said these partnerships would encourage greater exchanges of students, researchers and technology while strengthening innovation ecosystems in both countries.

"We are gonna see a lot of capital movement and technology and innovation movement both ways," he said. "They see India as a natural partner."

Preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics have also become a priority for the mission.

Dr Srinivasa said the consulate is already coordinating with the Indian Olympic Association, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Los Angeles Mayor's Office and organisers ahead of the Games.

"We are expecting a delegation in August from them trying to identify the venues, training venues, their logistics, et cetera," he said.

Cricket's return to the Olympic programme after more than a century has added another dimension to the preparations.

"There is a huge buzz around cricket in this region," he said, referring to the newly built cricket stadium in Pomona, which is expected to host Olympic cricket after expansion.

"Everybody's excited for cricket."

Looking ahead, Dr Srinivasa said that the Pacific Southwest would become an increasingly important pillar of the India-US strategic partnership as cooperation expands across defence, aerospace, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, healthcare, biotechnology, logistics and critical minerals.

The opening of the Consulate General in Los Angeles reflects India's broader effort to expand its diplomatic and economic engagement across the United States as bilateral ties increasingly focus on technology, resilient supply chains, clean energy, higher education and innovation.

Over the past decade, India and the United States have steadily deepened cooperation across strategic, economic and people-to-people domains, supported by one of the world's largest and most influential Indian diaspora communities.

The American Pacific Southwest occupies a distinctive place in that partnership.

Home to global technology companies, venture capital firms, leading universities, aerospace and defence industries, major ports and advanced manufacturing hubs, the region offers significant opportunities for India to strengthen commercial partnerships and strategic collaboration.

Source: IANS