NEW DELHI: The Barack Obama administration has said that the United States has stepped up investment in India since the advent of the Narendra Modi government in the country, outpacing its investment in China."The high-level engagements between our two countries since May of 2014 include six at the leader-level, including the Nuclear Security Summit this week, and we could well see more before the end of the administration," US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal said in a note that outlined US policies and priorities for 2016 in South and Central Asia.She said, "Much of the focus has been on the economic partnership, and while there continue to be challenges, we have seen a dramatic rise in US investment in India, which today outpaces US investment in China."Referring to the potential that Indo-US business ties hold, Biswal said, "We have elevated our commercial relationship with India by inaugurating a strategic and commercial dialogue and revitalising the CEO Forum."The United States is South Asia’s largest trading partner and the past few years have seen some major successes that create opportunities for even stronger trade and investment ties. "The biggest factor is of course India, and the economic resurgence that is underway there," Biswal said.According to the US-India Business Council , nearly 30 American companies have invested over $15 billion in the past year and a half, with over 50 US firms expected to ink more than $27 billion worth of deals over the next year.According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, America’s direct investments in India were estimated at about $28 billion in 2014. As per India’s official statistics, the cumulative FDI inflows from the US from April 2000 to September 2014 amounted to about $13.19 billion, accounting for nearly 6 per cent of the total FDI into India, making US the sixth largest source of foreign direct investment into India.During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US in September 2014, an India-US Investment initiative was decided, with a special focus on facilitating FDI, portfolio investment, capital market development and financing of infrastructure and a US-India Infrastructure Collaboration Platform to deploy cutting edge US technologies to meet India’s infrastructure needs.However, the note indicates that America’s focus for India is not just on economic relations.Highlighting emerging bilateral partnership in the sphere of maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region amid China’s growing aggression, Biswal said the US is engaged in unprecedented cooperation with India, the region’s largest maritime power."Nearly 90 per cent of global trade relies on maritime shipping and the Indian Ocean is the super-highway for much of this commerce. In the two decades from 1992 to 2012, the average number of ships in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea increased by more than 300 per cent. As the economies of Asia continue to rise, so to will the need for greater maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region," she said.In an indirect reference to China’s unilateralism in the seas of the region Biswal said, "We have seen in other maritime areas that tensions emerge when countries seek to advance competing territorial claims through unilateral actions."However, pointing out peaceful maritime boundary dispute resolution by India and Bangladesh, the US diplomat said, "The Bay of Bengal presents a more optimistic example, one where a dominant power worked with its neighbours to amicably resolve claims through international arbitration."India, a regional power that is committed to advancing the rules-based international order, has therefore become a key player and an important partner in advancing maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Biswal.India’s defence trade with the US has increased substantially from a mere $300 million just over a decade ago to close to $14 billion."And through the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, for the first time ever we’re working together with another country on its indigenous aircraft carrier development programme. In the not-too-distant future, we hope to see the day when the US and Indian navies, including our aircraft carriers, are cooperating on the high seas, protecting freedom of navigation for all nations," Biswal said, indicating the possibility of joint patrolling in the future.