Dems, GOP join call for India trade probe

{mosads}The ITC is to report back in November 2014.

“India is an important strategic partner of the United States, yet U.S. exports of goods and services to India remain low. In 2011, U.S. goods exports to India – the world’s second most populous country – were just $22.3 billion,” they noted in a joint letter.

“Beyond any particular action India has taken, the government has enunciated a broader policy objective to develop and support Indian domestic industries by forcing foreign firms to use local facilities and suppliers and to transfer their intellectual property to Indian entities. Government documents indicate that India is likely to adopt additional measures to this end, and expand these sorts of measures to additional sectors, creating significant concern and uncertainty for U.S. exporters and investors,” the letter states.

While the ITC investigation would not itself lead to trade sanctions, the practices uncovered could inform later decisions about possible World Trade Organization cases or suspension of unilateral trade benefits.