New York:
After a furious India decided to block investigations by US authorities into its trade policies and patent laws, New York could label India as a "Priority Foreign Country", a tag it gives to worst offenders of intellectual property rights. The accusation could lead to trade sanctions and escalate the already-strained tension between the two countries.
The suggestion to designate India a Priority Foreign Country was given to the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which represents about 50 US business groups.
"We have not seen any progress. What we keep hearing from the Indian side is that they don't want to talk about these things and that starts to narrow the range of options that we have to address the issue in a constructive manner," Chris Moore, Senior Director at NAM told NDTV.
The USTR's annual report due in April will provide details on nations denying protection of IP rights or fair market access to US firms.
"While there may be areas where we have different perspectives, ongoing bilateral dialogue contributes to better understanding of those perspectives and to finding opportunities where further economic collaboration can be possible in the mutual interest of both countries," a spokesperson for the USTR's office told NDTV.
Furious over the USTR's threat of trade sanctions over its protection of intellectual property rights, preference for domestic producers and non-trade barriers, New Delhi has said it could take its battle to the World Trade Organization or WTO. It has reportedly also asked the US Deputy Trade Representative to cancel an upcoming visit to the country.
India is widely perceived in Washington as a serial trade offender. Both countries have been fighting over multiple issues - from exports of shrimps pitting fishermen of Kerala against those in Louisiana to India's recent Solar Energy program.
With 64 billion dollars in bilateral trade, both countries cannot afford a standoff, especially right after the Devyani Khobragade stalemate.
The Obama administration has been pushing against India's IPR laws since the Novartis-Gleevec judgment. India says its patent laws are WTO-compliant and hence it will not succumb to US pressure tactics, a determined resilience which the upcoming elections will only fortify.
The suggestion to designate India a Priority Foreign Country was given to the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which represents about 50 US business groups.
"We have not seen any progress. What we keep hearing from the Indian side is that they don't want to talk about these things and that starts to narrow the range of options that we have to address the issue in a constructive manner," Chris Moore, Senior Director at NAM told NDTV.
The USTR's annual report due in April will provide details on nations denying protection of IP rights or fair market access to US firms.
"While there may be areas where we have different perspectives, ongoing bilateral dialogue contributes to better understanding of those perspectives and to finding opportunities where further economic collaboration can be possible in the mutual interest of both countries," a spokesperson for the USTR's office told NDTV.
Furious over the USTR's threat of trade sanctions over its protection of intellectual property rights, preference for domestic producers and non-trade barriers, New Delhi has said it could take its battle to the World Trade Organization or WTO. It has reportedly also asked the US Deputy Trade Representative to cancel an upcoming visit to the country.
India is widely perceived in Washington as a serial trade offender. Both countries have been fighting over multiple issues - from exports of shrimps pitting fishermen of Kerala against those in Louisiana to India's recent Solar Energy program.
With 64 billion dollars in bilateral trade, both countries cannot afford a standoff, especially right after the Devyani Khobragade stalemate.
The Obama administration has been pushing against India's IPR laws since the Novartis-Gleevec judgment. India says its patent laws are WTO-compliant and hence it will not succumb to US pressure tactics, a determined resilience which the upcoming elections will only fortify.
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