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The US has rejected India's claim that the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by Washington on copper are safeguard measures under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, stating there is no basis for New Delhi's proposal to suspend duty concessions on American goods. The tariffs were imposed on August 1. As India is an exporter of copper products to the US, it has sought consultations with the US on the matter under the WTO safeguard agreement in September. India has stated that the duties, although claimed to be taken for security interests, are safeguard measures. "These actions are not safeguard measures. Accordingly, there is no basis for India's proposal to suspend concessions or other obligations under...the Agreement on Safeguards with respect to these measures," according to a communication, dated November 6, from the US in response to India's notification. A WTO member may take a safeguard action (restrict imports of a product temporarily) under the WTO Agreement on Safeguards to
China has alleged that certain conditions in India's Production Linked Incentive schemes for advanced chemistry cell battery, automobiles and the policy to promote the manufacturing of electric vehicles violate global trade rules, and has filed a complaint against these measures at the WTO. According to a communication of the Geneva-based WTO, China has sought consultations with India on these measures under WTO's dispute settlement mechanism. Beijing has stated that measures adopted by India are contingent upon the use of domestic over imported goods and discriminate against goods of Chinese origin. These measures appear to be inconsistent with India's obligations under the SCM (Subsidies and Countervailing Measures) Agreement, the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) 1994 and the TRIMs (Trade-Related Investment Measures) Agreement. "...as a consequence of the foregoing, the measures at issue appear to nullify or impair benefits accruing to China, directly or indirectly,
The US did not accept India's request for consultations under an agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning American tariffs on steel, aluminium, and related derivative products, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. The US has maintained that these measures were introduced on the grounds of national security, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. India, however, considers these measures to be safeguard actions that should have been notified and subjected to consultations under the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards (AoS). "India has accordingly reserved its right to suspend substantially equivalent concessions (right to impose equal trade measures in response) due to the US's non-compliance with its obligations under the AoS," he said. In a separate reply, the minister said India is actively involved in the discussions with the US on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the aim to expand trade and ...
India has revised its proposal to impose retaliatory duties under the WTO (World Trade Organisation) norms against the US over American tariffs on steel and aluminium in view of the further hike in duty by the Trump administration. The US first imposed 25 per cent tariffs on imports of aluminium, steel and derivative articles on March 12. Again, on June 3, the taxes were hiked to 50 per cent. "Without prejudice to its earlier notification to the Council for Trade in Goods and the Committee on Safeguards dated May 12, India reserves its right to adjust the products and tariff rates. This request is made in response to the increase in the tariff rate by the US from 25 per cent ad valorem to 50 per cent," the WTO has said in a communication on Wednesday. This was circulated among WTO members at the request of India. It said that the proposed suspension of concessions or other obligations can take the form of an increase in tariffs on selected products originating in the US. "The ...
India has called for action to curb non-tariff barriers, address trade distortions caused by non-market economies, and restore a strong dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. The minister also pitched for strengthening the current consensus-based approach at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the special and differential treatment given to less developed countries and developing countries, and bringing back focus on issues that have already been finalised and mandated at previous ministerial meetings. "India made a strong pitch for addressing non-tariff barriers that certain countries use to deprive others of market access, take necessary action against non-market economies, ensure that we have a strong dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO so that finality can be brought and discipline can be maintained," Goyal told reporters here. The minister made these remarks in a meeting of about 25 ministers of WTO member ...
World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Tuesday urged India to support the China-led proposal on investment facilitation for development as several developing countries are backing the initiative. The Director General of the Geneva-based body said she discussed several issues like WTO reforms and agriculture with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The Indian minister is here on an official visit. "We need India as a leader. India is a leading country, and India is doing well. So, India needs to open the way for other developing countries, for example, on investment facilitation for development, we want it to support, because so many developing countries - 90 out of the 126 who are members, would like to move with this," she told reporters here. But for agriculture, "we also need" to listen to what India's issues are and try to be supportive. A China-led group of 128 countries is pushing for the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) proposal.
India on Monday proposed to impose retaliatory duties under the WTO (World Trade Organisation) norms against the US over American tariffs on steel and aluminium in the name of safeguard measures. "The safeguard measures would affect USD 7.6 billion imports into the US of the relevant products originating in India, on which the duty collection would be USD 1.91 billion," a WTO communication said. Accordingly, it said, India's proposed suspension of concessions would result in an equivalent amount of duty collected from products originating in America. Earlier in April, India had sought consultations with the US under the WTO's safeguard agreement, following American authorities' decision to impose these tariffs. On the request for consultation, the US informed the global trade body that its decision to impose the tariffs was based on national security grounds and should not be considered as safeguard measures. On March 8, 2018, the US promulgated safeguard measures on certain steel
India and Chinese Taipei have requested the WTO's dispute settlement body not to adopt the ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain information and technology products till October 24 this year, as both sides are engaged in resolving the matter mutually. The issue will come up during a meeting of the dispute settlement body (DSB) in Geneva on April 25, a WTO (World Trade Organisation) communication said. "The DSB agreed to the latest requests from Chinese Taipei and India," a Geneva-based official said. The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu and India would like to request that the DSB adopt the decision with respect to the dispute India Tariff Treatment on Certain Goods in the Information and Communications Technology Sector at a meeting of the DSB to be held on April 25. "We (India and these customs territories) consider that the draft DSB decision, if adopted, would facilitate the resolution of the dispute," it said. They have requested n
India has sought consultations with the US under the WTO's safeguard agreement following American authorities' decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to a WTO communication. On March 8, 2018, the US promulgated safeguard measures on certain steel and aluminium articles by imposing 25 per cent and 10 per cent ad valorem tariffs respectively. It came into effect from March 23, 2018. On February 10 this year, the US revised the safeguard measures on imports of steel and aluminium articles, effective from March 12, 2025, and with an unlimited duration, the communication said. It is being circulated at the request of the delegation of India. It added that notwithstanding the USA's characterisation of these measures as security measures, they are in essence safeguard measures. The US has failed to notify the WTO Committee on Safeguards under a provision of the Agreement on Safeguards (AoS) on taking a decision to apply safeguard measures. "Accordingly, as an affec
With the US imposing a reciprocal tariff, India should rework its international trade strategy and consider moving out of "exploitative agreements" in WTO, like TRIPS and TRIMS, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) said on Sunday It said the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has caused India "huge losses" in royalty expenditure, apart from the negative impact it had on public health. Royalty expenditure by India, which was less than a billion US dollars in the 1990s, has now become more than USD 17 billion a year, the SJM, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said in a statement. While the TRIPS agreement establishes minimum standards for intellectual property rights (IPRs), the agreement in WTO Trade-Related Investment Measures, or TRIMS, limits certain investment measures that distort trade. The US recently announced 26 per cent import duties on India, saying New Delhi imposes high tariffs on American goods. SJM national co-conveno
India on Monday expressed reservations over the facilitator-led process in the World Trade Organisation to discuss issues on agriculture, saying that it would potentially undermine ministerial mandates and take negotiations backwards, an official said. The issue came up during a meeting of Heads of Delegation (HoDs) dedicated to agriculture in Geneva at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The official said that India has stressed on the urgency to address mandated matters like public stockholding (PSH), special safeguard mechanism (SSM), and cotton issues in dedicated sessions, separate from broader agriculture negotiations. "India noted that the facilitator-led process would potentially undermine Ministerial mandates and it would take negotiations backwards. It also raised concerns about transparency, neutrality, and inclusive discussion in the facilitator model and warned against creating new pillars, as it would complicate negotiations further," the Geneva-based official said. I
The WTO's dispute settlement body has accepted a request from India and Chinese Taipei not to adopt the ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain information and technology products till October-end, as both sides are engaged in resolving the matter mutually, an official said. The issue came up during a meeting of the dispute settlement body (DSB) in Geneva on July 26. "The DSB agreed to the latest requests from Chinese Taipei and India," the Geneva-based official said. At the July 26 meeting, India and Chinese Taipei once again requested additional time from the DSB to consider the adoption of the panel rulings in the case initiated by Chinese Taipei regarding India's tariffs on certain high-tech goods. The two sides had asked that the DSB further delay consideration of the panel reports until October 28, 2024, to help facilitate the resolution of the disputes. The dispute body had earlier agreed to four previous such requests from India and Chinese Taipei to delay ...