India Slams US trade policies at WTO meet

Expresses concern over Tariff and Non-tariff barriers on Exports, recent hike in Visa fees

The Us has been subjected to a barrage of criticism regarding some of its trade policies at the ongoing
WTO’s review meet. India, Brazil and other affected countries have slammed its protectionist
policies, which are directly affecting their economies. India’s ambassador to WTO, Jayant Dasgupta,
put forward the country’s several concerns on American policies, which it wanted US to address.

Dasgupta said that India is deeply concerned with the tariff and non-tariff barriers slapped on India’s
exports to the US. They include high tariff on textiles, food products, footwear, leather goods and
automotive components.

The recent fee hike for H B and L visas and a ban on outsourcing by a particular US state are matters
of acute concern to India. They are trade restrictive as they appear to be adversely impacting Indian
companies, he added.

India exports face additional customs impediments, such as import user fees and excessive invoicing
requirements on importers, which add to the costs in the same way as tariffs, Das Gupta said.

India also slammed the latest US position on intellectual property such as the emergence of new TRIP
plus initiatives in bilateral or plurilatral FTAs. Structures like ACTA and IMPACT are undermining
the Trips agreements as well as the multilateral trading system, he said.

India exporters are worried as the final Foreign Manufacturers liability Bill, in its present shape,
raises some concern with regard to its compatibility with the WTO/GATT Agreements, notably
Article XI. The bill will further add to the administrative burden and create new barriers for trade.
The legislation would expand the reach of personal jurisdiction to persons normally exempt because
they do not meet the minimum contract requirements under US law. India has questioned its
compatibility with the Hague Convention on Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra-judicial
Documents in civil and commercial matters.

India also complained that the inordinate delays in implementing settlement cases affect the general
system, and cited the delays in the cotton and zeroing cases.

(Source: Sheila Mathrani, The Time of India, Mumbai, September 30, 2010)