India notifies the US of a ban on laptop imports due to national security concerns.

One of India's largest trading partners, the US is anticipated to generate $200 billion in revenue this year. However, there are still important problems with bilateral trade.At the 14th Ministerial-level meeting of the India-United States Trade Policy Forum (TPF), which was co-chaired by both delegates in New Delhi on Friday, US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai brought up the issue. In response, India's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, vehemently defended New Delhi's import restrictions on laptops, tablets, and servers.

According to the joint statement, Goyal also requested that Tai abolish the import prohibition on shrimp that are wild fished at the meeting.Goyal also restated New Delhi’s longtime demand about being reinstated in Washington’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) program, which gives duty-free access for some imports from low and middle-income nations. Before the former Donald Trump administration excluded India from the GSP program in 2019, it was one of the program's largest beneficiaries.During the TPF, Goyal also outlined the "challenges" that Indian business investors had in obtaining a US visa and asked Tai to expedite the visa application process.

According to the joint statement, the Indian minister also brought attention to problems experienced by Indian experts whose credentials are not accepted in the US labor market.He mentioned that the pharmaceutical industry in the US was India's largest export destination and that the country's exports had increased 6.7% annually over the previous five years.Multiple authorizations may be applied for by importers, and if granted, they will remain in effect until September 30, 2024. Authorizations will be granted for any quantity of shipments for imports through September of the following year. Regarding the scenario that would follow September 2024, the official stated: "We are keeping an eye on imports and analyzing the data." Thus, subsequent actions will be based on whatever information that data may yield. On November 1, 2023, the first day of the new system's implementation, the government approved 110 out of the 111 applications, including those from Apple, Dell, and Lenovo. major applications sought approval for the importation of major IT hardware products, which are estimated to be valued about USD 10 billion.

"More imports than were previously authorized annually have already been approved by the administration. Therefore, before making a choice, it is necessary to ascertain which companies are involved and what kind of goods are on the way," the official continued. Along with encouraging home production of these products, India has launched a number of initiatives, including a production linked incentive (PLI) program for the large-scale manufacturing of electronics. The comments take on relevance as the US brought up India's new import rules for laptops and tablets during the Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting on January 12 and requested that New Delhi make sure that the industry's trade is not restricted by the country's present online system or related policies.