US for connectivity across Bay region: Biswal

The United States (US) has said it has a tremendous opportunity to encourage physical connectivity by expanding port and ‘last mile’ connectivity across the Bay of Bengal region and linking key Indian, Bangladeshi, and Burmese transit hubs. The connectivity across the Bay, the US thinks, will help shape regional regulatory architecture through regional trade and transit agreements, improving the investment climate for greater foreign direct investment, and reducing non-tariff trade barriers throughout South Asia. US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal said this while testifying before Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Near Eastern, South and Central Asian Affairs on ‘Indispensable Partners: Reenergizing US-India Ties’ in Washington on Wednesday, according to a news agency.