US does not want protectionism: Hillary Clinton

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Though outsourcing is a concern for many businesses in the US, it should not be affecting the trade flow between India and USA, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday.

Allaying fears about the reported anti-outsourcing stance in the backdrop of President Barack Obama's 'Say yes to Buffalo and no to Bangalore' comment made some time back, Clinton, who is on a official visit to India, said America does not want a return to protectionism.

"I think it's a friendly competition,” she told NDTV in an interview. “We are competing with words and with laws, not with any other means. But certainly, especially in a global recession, every country is going to want that we have enough jobs for our people. What President Obama has said is that we do not want to return to protectionism.”

There certain restrictions that the US government has imposed on companies receiving bailout funds from hiring foreign workers. "... So he (Obama) has really tried to speak against protectionism and to make sure our administration does not in any way give credence to it," she said.

Earlier, she had said the technical education in India as the "best in the world". While attending an interactive discussion on education in Mumbai, organized by 'Teach India', an NGO working for children's education, she said her country and India should work together in the field to help bridge the gap between talent and opportunities.

"Technical education in India was the best in the world. We need to work together in the field of educational opportunities," she said.