India an important business partner of US: Mnuchin

India is an important economic partner for the US, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has told Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and expressed keenness to continue the robust bilateral financial dialogue. Mnuchin spoke with Jaitley over phone on Tuesday, the US Treasury said in a statement on Wednesday. "Mnuchin underscored India's importance as an economic partner of the United States," it said.

"The Secretary and Finance Minister expressed a desire to continue the robust bilateral dialogue between Treasury and the Ministry of Finance in the year ahead," the statement said. Jaitley is scheduled to travel to the US next month to attend the annual spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The two leaders are expected to meet here.