In 2023, New Delhi took several steps that opened up the Indian market for American exporters in particular in the field of fruits and agriculture, US Trade Representative Katherine Tie told her lawmakers at the US Capitol on April 16.
“Last June, India and the United States terminated six WTO disputes, and India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on several U.S. products,” Tie told members of the House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on the President’s 2024 Trade Policy Agenda. This means improved access for chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, and apples benefiting farmers across the country, including in Michigan, Oregon, and Washington, she said.
“Additionally, in September, India and the United States resolved our final outstanding WTO dispute, and India agreed to reduce tariffs on several U.S. products,” Tie said.This means more market access for turkey, duck, blueberries, and cranberries benefiting farmers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin, said the top trade official of the Biden Administration.
Tie said that trade is a tool to give all Americans a fair shot and ensure that our system is set up for inclusive and durable growth. Promoting healthy competition is critical to achieving this goal.
“In this new era, we increasingly measure success and progress by the degree to which we are delivering real benefits to more Americans across our society—no matter where you live or whether you have a college degree,” she said adding that the Biden Administration is using trade to empower workers, because they are the backbone of the economy.
“We are incentivizing a race to the top so that we are not pitting our workers against those in other countries and regions. Fellow trade ministers tell me that they too want to build their economies from the middle out, and enacting and maintaining high labor standards is key,” Tie said.
The US Trade Representative told lawmakers that last year, the United States prevailed at the WTO in the cases against the retaliatory tariffs the China and Türkiye illegally imposed in response to the U.S. Section 232 national security actions on steel and aluminum.
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