US Consul General Christopher Hodges makes first official visit to Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The US Consul General in Chennai, Christopher W Hodges, on his first official visit to Bengaluru on Thursday, met with government officials, scientists, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to underscore the strong economic and commercial ties between the United States and India.

As part of his visit, he participated in the 30th anniversary celebrations of the US Commercial Service Office in Bengaluru on Thursday.

At a reception to commemorate the occasion, Consul General Hodges highlighted the US Commercial Service Office’s role in establishing robust commercial ties and facilitating collaborations. He characterised the Commercial Service as a catalyst for increased trade and investment between the United States and India.

Hodges said, “The economic partnership between the US and India is flourishing, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in both countries, and spurring technological innovation. Bengaluru is one of the US’ most important trading partners in India. The city hosts over 650 US companies and is a large part of this success story, contributing to the US-India bilateral trade relationship”.

Reaffirming the US Consulate General’s commitment to working with business communities in Karnataka and across South India to further the US-India trade partnership, Hodges said, “US-India commercial cooperation in the space, technology, renewable energy, healthcare, education, and aerospace sectors is stronger than ever. As we celebrate 30 years of the US Commercial Service in Bengaluru, I can’t wait to see the partnerships and prosperity that the next 30 years will bring”.

US Embassy, New Delhi, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs Jonathan Heimer, US Consulate General, Chennai, Principal Commercial Officer Carey Arun, and Chennai Political/Economic Chief Virsa Perkins also attended the event in Bengaluru.

Other guests included local and international business leaders, government functionaries, decision-makers and representatives from various industries.