AHMEDABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for a rapid expansion of US-India trade and commercial ties as he attended an international investment conference ahead of visit by President Barack Obama later this month.

Kerry led the US delegation to the investment summit in Ahmedabad, the main financial city in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. Kerry said it was imperative that economic ties between the two countries grow for the sake of Indian development, reducing poverty and fighting climate change.

“We can do more together, and we must do more together, and we have to do it faster,” Kerry told the conference, which Modi opened.

Commerce and investment between the US and India have jumped in recent years, growing nearly five-fold since 2000 with bilateral direct investment at almost $30 billion. But it still faces obstacles dues to restrictive Indian laws and regulations.

US officials said they were working on agreements that could include a solar energy deal, a plan to improve rural electrification and potentially a carbon reduction pact that they hoped could be signed when Obama visits India to participate in India’s annual Republic Day ceremonies on Jan. 26.

Modi has invited Obama to be the “chief guest” at the celebration, the first sitting American president to be so honored.

In Ahmedabad, Kerry also planned talks with the prime minister of Bhutan, marking a rare Cabinet-level meeting between the two nations.