US plans to take action against ‘unfair’ Indian moves: Robert Lighthizer

His remarks came days after India on Saturday announced a hike in customs duties on as many as 28 US products, including almond, pulses, and walnut

The Trump Administration has said that it was looking at a variety of “unfair actions” by India and it plans to take “some actions” against them.

“We have spent a lot of time worrying about India. It is massive economy and it’s going to only get bigger. It is a great opportunity for a lot of American farmers and businesses. Having said that, we have a series of problems with them, the things that we’ve raised with them over a period of months,” US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday.

During a Congressional hearing, Lighthizer told the members of the House Ways and Means Committee that the Trump Administration over the past few months did a review of GSP, after which President Donald Trump decided to take the GSP away.

“Because we made literally no headway on the issues over the course of months and months and months,” he said.

“We are looking at a variety of other unfair actions (by India) that may provoke us to take some other kinds of, some additional action,” Lighthizer said, responding to a question from Republican Congressman George Holding.

His remarks came days after India on Saturday announced a hike in customs duties on as many as 28 US products, including almond, pulses and walnut, in response to higher tariffs imposed by Washington on Indian products like steel and aluminium.

“They have a new government now. Obviously it’s the same leader, but a new government…And I will talk to him in the next few days. My hope (is that) we can jumpstart and make some headway,” Lighthizer said on a positive note.

At the same time, he alleged that India has about the “highest tariffs of any country you can imagine” in the world.

“They have a very status kind of an economy. It’s very heavily regulated. They have created problems in the digital space, in the agriculture space, in regular manufacturing. I mean in retail, just across the board,” he said.

Lighthizer was responding to a question from Congressman Holding.

“I think we have great opportunities with India. India is becoming more and more important partner with the US on military front. Trade opportunities are there,” Holding said.

“The president is going to have the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi at the G-20 summit. And before that I believe Secretary (Mike) Pompeo will be in India meeting with the Prime Minister Modi, before the G-20, he added.

“So…there are opportunities in India and are prepared to spend the resources and time to talk through the difficulties that we have. There are some trade controversies and there are a great trade opportunity there, Holding said.

“With the election of a new prime minister there, I believe that he now has more of a mandate and a stronger hand to come and negotiate with us; a stronger hand trying to address the problems that he knows that he has in his country,” he noted.

Holding said that there’s a commitment within the new government in India to try to address some of the problems that they understand that they have.

Congressman Chris Smith in his remarks alleged that India provides support to its domestic cotton industry in violation of the World Trade Organization.