Jaipur, Apr 22: US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Tuesday reflected on the economic challenges faced by manufacturing communities in the US in the last few years.

"Our manufacturing communities have been facing economic challenges for the last few years, and fair trade partnerships are equally important. In India, the US has a friend,” said US Vice President J.D. Vance while addressing an event in Jaipur.

Vance said that he was sharing the story on the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then recounted the story of his upbringing in a once-thriving manufacturing town, which slowly and steadily witnessed the diluting of the middle class due to job losses and factories shutting down.

“I come from a long-standing manufacturing town called Middletown. It’s not a massive city like Jaipur, but a decent town where people have made things for generations,” he said.

He added that people came down from surrounding hills, from places like West Virginia, in search of manufacturing jobs, prosperity, and the American dream.

Vance also described his family’s experience growing up in a working-class household.

“My parents and grandparents raised me in Middletown with values - to work hard, study hard, love God and my country, and to be a good. My grandfather’s job provided a decent wage and a pension. By the time I came up, money was tight, but it was fine to make a good living for all of us,” he said.

The VP added that generation saw the making of a great middle class, adding that by creating an economy around production, the leaders made many Middletowns.

“Governments in those times supported the labour force, and we struck good deals with national partners to sell goods made in the US,” he said.

However, Vance also talked about the decline that followed.

“Later, other leaders abandoned the principles that built our prosperity. They forgot the importance of building a productive industrial base. As a result, we saw consequences, factories left, jobs evaporated, and the economy of towns like mine suffered,” he said.

“Middletown story is my story - millions of Americans lived this same experience. This story is my story, but it is hardly unusual in America. There were tens of millions of Americans who had woken up to what was happening in their nation, but I think they have woken up way before it’s too late. We want to strike good deals with our friends, we want proud recognition of our heritage rather than self-loathing and fear,” he said.

Vance emphasised that Americans are now aware of what went wrong and are committed to course-correction.

“Our President has been consistent on these issues for decades. America now has a government which has learnt from the mistakes of the past. Our President Trump cares deeply to ensure Americans have an opportunity for good jobs. Today, I have come here with a simple message: we seek trade partners on the basis of fairness in their shared national interest,” he said.

“We want trade deals that are fair and rooted in shared national interests. We want our heritage to be a source of pride, not self-loathing. Our President, Donald Trump, has been consistent on these issues for decades. He deeply cares about ensuring that Americans have access to good jobs and opportunities,” he said.

He stressed the importance of building partnerships with nations that value workers and share common goals.

“Today, I bring a simple message: the U.S. seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and mutual interest. We want relationships with countries that respect labour and are committed to building things alongside us,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Vance said: “We want partners who recognise the historic nature of the moment we are in - to reshape global trade into a system that is open, balanced, stable, and fair. Our partners don’t need to be exactly like America, nor must governments do exactly the same way, but just have a common goal. I believe in India, we do, up economy and national security. That’s why I’m so excited to be here today. In India, America has a friend, and we need to strengthen great bonds,” he said.

--IANS

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