Los Angeles and Mumbai Poised for Strategic Economic Partnership

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The long-standing sister city relationship between Los Angeles and Mumbai has historically lacked meaningful economic or strategic outcomes. However, a convergence of new developments, including the opening of an Indian consulate in Los Angeles and the growing alignment between the cities' creative economies, suggests the conditions are now in place to transform this relationship into a mutually beneficial commercial partnership. Establishing a dedicated L.A.-Mumbai sister city committee with a clear economic mandate could help channel this potential into tangible outcomes such as business matchmaking, co-production deals, and increased foreign direct investment.

Why it matters

The U.S.-India bilateral relationship has demonstrated that its resilience depends more on the density of commercial and institutional relationships at the subnational level than on federal frameworks alone. Strengthening the ties between Los Angeles and Mumbai, two of the world's largest and most economically significant metropolitan areas, could help build the kind of durable constituency that can withstand strains in the overall bilateral relationship.

The details

Over the past decades, the forces of globalization have pushed city and state governments to become active international actors, competing for investment, talent, and visibility. This shift is exemplified by the relationship between California, the world's fourth-largest economy, and India, the sixth-largest. Within this broader context, the Los Angeles-Mumbai pairing represents a particularly significant but underbuilt connection. Los Angeles is the world's third-largest metropolitan economy, while Mumbai generates approximately $310 billion in GDP and accounts for 5% of India's national output. Despite this economic weight, the sister city relationship has historically lacked concrete commercial or strategic outcomes.

• In late 2025, India opened its first-ever consulate general in Los Angeles.
• Eric Garcetti served as U.S. ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025, during which time he advocated for strengthening people-to-people and commercial ties between L.A. and India.

What they’re saying

What’s next

A standalone L.A.-Mumbai sister city committee, anchored by the new Indian consulate in Los Angeles and backed by Maharashtra's state investment promotion machinery, could provide the institutional framework to channel the cities' economic potential into tangible outcomes such as business matchmaking, co-production deals, and increased foreign direct investment.