Wait...
Search Global Export Import Trade Data
Recent Searches: No Recent Searches

Urgent drill to counter US trade threat.


Date: 19-04-2014
Subject: Urgent drill to counter US trade threat
New Delhi, April 18: India is getting ready for the mother of all trade spats — a confrontation with the US, which accounts for trade worth $70 billion annually, over pharma and telecom.

An urgent meeting has been convened next week by cabinet secretary Ajit Seth over Washington’s threat to punish India for violation of drug patents and alleged discrimination against Western telecom equipment.

In drugs, American multinationals have been lobbying their government to impose sanctions against India by labelling it Priority Foreign Country, a tag attached to the worst offenders of patent rights.

US and European telecom equipment manufacturers, on the other hand, are up in arms against India’s local sourcing and testing norms, which they fear could lead to more domestic devices replacing foreign products.

Seth’s meeting is likely to be attended by the foreign, commerce and industry secretaries, said officials.

Cheap drug debate

US actions against Indian pharma firms have already dented growth in one of the fastest growing export industries.

In the last financial year, pharma exports, till now growing 15 per cent annually, rose just 3 per cent in the first ten months.

In 2012-13, India had earned $14.6 billion from pharma exports.

The US Chamber of Commerce, backed by the US Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, had in February called on Washington to label India as Priority Foreign Country.

The only country on the list is Ukraine. The classification will result in sanctions on Indian exports.

Indian pharma industry believes the real cause of the US ire is New Delhi’s move to let local players manufacture cheap generic versions of patented life-saving drugs.

Tiff over sourcing

The US has also been opposing India’s local sourcing norms for telecom equipment. Besides insisting on telecom gear to be tested locally for security reasons, India wants gadgets such as Apple iPads, mobiles, printers, scanners and computers to adhere to the Bureau of Indian Standards.

US and European equipment companies were particularly peeved by the rules that made it mandatory for all foreign telecom and power gear to be tested for possible bugs.

They had pointed out to the Indian authorities about the possibility of Chinese equipment being bugged — yet the rap fell on all foreign companies.

Besides, the testing norms were also perceived as non-trade barriers imposed by New Delhi.

Indian officials countered that the accusations made against Chinese manufacturers may also be true of American and European companies.

As an example, the officials referred to the recent Malaysian Airlines plane that met with a tragic end. They said even after the plane went off the radar, its flight path could be traced by Boeing and Rolls Royce, which supplied the engine, because of the markers on the aircraft that allowed them to monitor the location of the aircraft.

“It proves what we always suspected… gear made by any foreign manufacturer can be bugged and that highlights the need for us to devise ways of testing equipment brought into vital sectors which have security concerns,” the officials said.

Source : telegraphindia.com

Get Sample Now

Which service(s) are you interested in?
 Export Data
 Import Data
 Both
 Buyers
 Suppliers
 Both
OR
 Exim Help
+


What is New?

Date: 28-02-2025
Notification No. 12/2025-CUSTOMS (N.T.)
Fixation of Tariff Value of Edible Oils, Brass Scrap, Areca Nut, Gold and Silver- Reg.

Date: 14-02-2025
Notification No. 10/2025-CUSTOMS (N.T.)
Fixation of Tariff Value of Edible Oils, Brass Scrap, Areca Nut, Gold and Silver- Reg.

Date: 13-02-2025
Notification No. 14/2025-Customs
Seeks to amend Notification 11/2021-Customs dated 01.02.2021 to amend AIDC rate on Bourbon whiskey

Date: 11-02-2025
NOTIFICATION No. 09/2025–Central Tax
Seeks to bring rules 2, 8, 24, 27, 32, 37, 38 of the CGST (Amendment) Rules, 2024 in to force

Date: 03-02-2025
[F. No. CBIC-190354/236/2021-TRU]
Corrigendum to Notification No. 50 of 2024 Customs, dated the 30th December, 2024.

Date: 01-02-2025
Notification No. 13/2025-Customs
Seeks to further amend notification No. 153/94-Customs dated the 13 th July, 1994.

Date: 01-02-2025
Notification No. 12/2025-Customs
Seeks to further amend notification No. 19/2019 dated 06 th July 2019.

Date: 01-02-2025
Notification No. 11/2025 – Customs
Seeks to further amend notification No. 25/2002-Customs, dated the 1st March, 2002 so as to add capital goods to the already existing list of capital goods exempted from basic customs duty for manufacture of lithium-ion battery of mobile phones and electrically operated vehicles.

Date: 01-02-2025
Notification No. 09/2025-Customs
Seeks to further amend notification No. 16/2017-Customs, dated the 20 th April, 2017 so to exempt certain drugs for supply under Patient Assistance Programme run by specified pharmaceutical companies.

Date: 01-02-2025
Notification No. 07/2025-Customs
Seeks to further amend notification No. 11/2018-Customs dated 02 th February, 2018 so as to exempt specified goods from the whole of levy of Social Welfare Surcharge.



Exim Guru Copyright © 1999-2025 Exim Guru. All Rights Reserved.
The information presented on the site is believed to be accurate. However, InfodriveIndia takes no legal responsibilities for the validity of the information.
Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before you use this Export Import Data Directory.

EximGuru.com

C/o InfodriveIndia Pvt Ltd
F-19, Pocket F, Okhla Phase-I
Okhla Industrial Area
New Delhi - 110020, India
Phone : 011 - 40703001