In a latest statement, the U.S. trade chief, Katherine Tai has raised concerns with India in accordance with the Asian nation’s new order mandating licenses for the import of laptops, tablets and personal computers.
US Raising Concerns Over License Mandate For Import Of Laptops, Tablets and Personal Computers
Tai’s intervention indicates their worries about the licensing regime as it could impact shipments from the likes of Apple and Dell and force firms to boost local manufacturing.
In the U.S. statement, “She noted that there were stakeholders that needed an opportunity to review and provide input to ensure that the policy, if implemented, does not have an adverse impact on U.S. exports to India,”.
This statement was issued after Tai met with India’s Trade Minister Piyush Goyal on August 26, notably.
It appears that Tai was in India to join the G20 trade ministers’ meeting last week in the western state of Rajasthan.
It is noteworthy here that the country’s new licensing regime is due to come into effect on November .
This mainly aims to “ensure that trusted hardware and systems” should enter the nation.
Besides this, it will also seek to reduce dependence on imports and boost local manufacturing.
Which again, in part addresses the country’s trade imbalance with China, as per the information provided by the Indian government official.
Resolving The Dispute
In the meantime, both nations, India and the U.S. will continue the discussions to find a solution to the only bilateral dispute between the two nations at the World Trade Organisation.
This involves measures by New Delhi on certain agricultural imports into the country, as per the statement.
It looks like a good start as earlier, six other disputes were mutually resolved this year.
At the start of this month, India has imposed restrictions on the import of personal computers, laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, ‘ultra-small form factor’ computers, and servers falling under HSN code 8741.
The center has placed these restrictions on the import of laptops and computers to encourage domestic manufacturing and sales.
Although, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) announced that they have decided to delay the licensing mandate for importing laptops, tablets and personal computers until November 1, 2023.
