US does not want protectionism: Clinton

Allaying fears about the reported anti-outsourcing stance of the Barack Obama administration, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today said that America does not want a return to protectionism.

"What president Obama has said (is) that we do not want a return to protectionism when Congress passed the provision in our stimulus bill," Clinton, who is on a visit to India, told news channel NDTV 24x7 in an interview.

The US government has imposed certain restrictions on companies receiving bailout funds from hiring foreign workers.

"... So he (Obama) has really tried to speak against protectionism and to make sure our administration does not in any way give credence to it," she said.

Regarding outsourcing, Clinton said that it is a concern for many businesses in the US but should not be affecting the trade flow between the two countries.

"Outsourcing is a concern for many community and businesses in my country."

"So how we handle that is something that we are very focused on doing ... that it does not disrupt the great flow of trade and services that go between our two countries," she asserted.