Washington: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that business leaders in the United States have appreciated the incremental ease of doing business enabled by the Indian government.

Speaking at a press briefing in Washington on Wednesday, Jaishankar said American businesses are surprised by how much more digital India has become, and how effectively the government is practising digital delivery.

These remarks come after Jaishankar met business leaders at the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in Washington during his US visit.

"I was struck by the fact both yesterday and today. Hearing from a very broad range of businesses. One overall appreciation for the incremental ease of doing business, sectoral, sometimes companies specific experiences, saying you know, like, today, there was an insurance company who spoke about ...what a big change they saw, and how much more positive they were about," the external affairs minister told reporters.

The minister said businesses were amazed at the change that has taken place in startups and innovation, as well as the change in labour laws and production-linked inventive policies in India

Jaishankar said he invited businesses to come forward with their problems so that solutions can be carved out.

During his press conference, the minister said the India-US relationship today is "so important that it is essential to have that face-to-face engagement on a regular basis."

He said ties are in a good place by citing good investment flows and regular political exchanges. "There might be some process issues on visas, but the actual movement of people on a longer timeframe has been quite positive, education student numbers have been strong," Jaishankar said.

He said the India-US relationship today impacts the rest of the world and there are a lot of countries that look to the two countries both individually and bilaterally.

"The good part of the relationship is today that we understand that we have to make space for each other and that we can work with each other even if we do not entirely agree on every aspect of every issue," he added.

On Wednesday, Jaishankar held a business luncheon with USISP Forum Board members during which he noted high interest in transformational changes happening in India. The minister said that India is ready to do even more business with the US.

"Delighted to participate in a business luncheon with @USISPForum Board members. Thank Dr. Mukesh Aghi for organizing. Noted the high interest in transformational changes happening in India in energy, health, climate, infrastructure & logistics and defence domains," the minister tweeted.

"Reiterated that our confident country is ready to do even more business with the US. Appreciated the positive sentiment in the room for stronger India-US linkages," he added.