Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai hold India-US Trade Policy Forum, four years after it was junked by Trump administration.
Katherine Tai is embarking on her maiden visit to India as US Trade Representative later this month. The two sides will resume the Trade Policy Forum after a gap of four years.
Biden administration’s focus on China and sticky issues relating to India’s reluctance to provide greater market access has meant the trade deal is off the table for now.
US had last March proposed retaliatory trade actions against India and other countries that imposed or were considering equalisation levy/digital services tax on e-commerce firms.
According to 2021 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, the US goods trade deficit with India was $23.8 billion last year, a 1.7% increase over 2019.
US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster, whose tenure ends this month, highlights issues of growing market access restrictions, increasing tariffs, limitations on free flow of data.
The issue of inequality has assumed the blazing limelight at a time when inequality in India is said to be higher than it was in the British Raj. It's a ripe situation for half-truths and incendiary statements.
Speaking at launch of economist Surjit Bhalla’s book, S Jaishankar also highlights Gen Z’s engagement with ‘reel culture’, which has 'promoted awareness, created interest in many subjects'.
Germany’s erstwhile Christian Democratic Union govt, led by Angela Merkel, prevented sale of small arms to police forces in states they perceived had ‘bad human rights record’.
A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.
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