The US said on Friday that it was keen on forging closer trade ties with India and more investment flow between the two countries.

Emerging from a meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant, US Trade Representative Ashley Wills said, "US attaches greater importance to India and is prepared to encourage trade with it as it was more focussed on India compared to any other South Asian country."

Observing that India was one of the most under invested countries, Wills said the US would work for opening up its market for Indian exports and expected the same from India.

He said India's investment potential has not yet been explored to its actual limits and though the American investment in the power sector was not encouraging, the country could expect more US investments in various sectors including manufacturing.