Delivering his address at a seminar on "Indo-US business, issues, trends andfuture" organised by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce, he said since1991, Indian exports to the US had been increasing. In 1997 and 1998, theexports were valued at $7.3 billion and $8.2 billion respectively.

Predicting that India would be one of the world's leaders in informationtechnology, he said the US had realised India was on the way to meeting itsgoal of being a superpower in IT in the next century.

Alter said since president Bill Clinton assumed office, the total combinedvalue of the Indo-US bilateral trade had doubled to nearly $12 billion in1998 from six billion in 1992.

This might reach three quarters of a trillion rupees- $16 billion in two-waygoods and services trade, most of it coming from India to the United States,he said.

Bernard said the Indo-American partnership of the future also offeredenormous opportunities for collaboration on global concerns like promotinggreater understanding of democratic values, safeguarding religious andethnic diversity, battling international terrorism, reversing dangeroustrends in population growth and envoronmental degradation. Bernard saidIndo-US collaborations in the wake of liberalisation, was evident fromIndian companies becoming partners with US investors by listing on the NewYork Stock Exchange.

Recently, ICICI was listed on the exchange, a few weeks ago "Satyam"followed suit. The line of Indian companies intending to list on theexchange was also growing with Reliance announcing that it would also bedoing so in the next few years, he said.

The United States had also benefitted from the flow of talented people fromindia especially in the information technology sector, he added. He saidsince liberalisation, India's economy had been performing remarkably well,especially in the context of Asian financial crisis and political tensionsoutside economy and trade.

India's growth rate was high at five to seven per cent since reforms beganand it had also been building up foreign reserves. Incomes had been growingfor farmers and in urban areas alike, he said.