US trade representative Demetrios Marantis to visit India

Deputy US trade representative Mr. Demetrios Marantis is likely to visit New Delhi in August to thrash out differences with India on contentious issues of the ongoing Doha round. The idea is to try and reach some sort of consensus before trade ministers from key WTO member countries meet in India for an informal meeting in September.

One of the reasons behind Doha round talks breaking down last July in Geneva was a disagreement between India and the US over the level of special protection to be given to poor farmers against a surge in agricultural imports.

Both India and the US do not want to be seen as countries wrecking the Doha round. Attempts are likely to be made to narrow differences over issues such as tariff protection for poor farmers and duty elimination for certain industrial goods in the bilateral meeting scheduled in August. This will improve the chances of the informal ministerial in New Delhi delivering some results.

The New Delhi meeting will be followed by a G-20 leaders summit in Pittsburgh later in September. The WTO will then host a formal ministerial meeting, including trade ministers from all 153 member countries, in November-end. Members are expected to work towards speeding up the Doha round of negotiations, which was launched almost eight years back for further expanding market access in goods and services, by the end of the next calendar year.

Mr Marantis, during his visit, is likely to meet commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma, senior officials from key ministries—including commerce, finance and agriculture—and industry representatives, the official said.



Australian Delegation reassures India on Students' Safety

An Australian delegation has assured the Indian authorities that Indian students are completely safe in the country despite the spate of attacks against them. The delegation was led by Mr. Colin Walters of the department of education, employment and workplace relations and officials from the department of public safety. The delegation is touring India to strengthen Australia-India education relations and outline steps that would ensure safety of Indian students pursuing higher studies in Australia.

Over 50 students have been injured in attacks in Australian cities, most of them being in and around Melbourne. Walters said that it was unfortunate that the recent attacks on Indian students had caused some diplomatic discomfort between the two countries and sparked angry protests all over.

He said that the Australian government strongly condemned such attacks and has ordered an inquiry into these. Walters expressed deep anguish and concern over allegations of racial discrimination levelled against the Australian government saying that the Australia government is a strong votary of international peace and had launched a crusade against the acts of racial discrimination since 1975.

There are nearly half a million students from across the globe who were pursuing their higher education in Australia and the government was committed to safeguarding their interests, the delegation said. .

“Ours is the biggest nation for demonstrating the cosmopolitan character of the student community. The Australian government has also evolved a national strategy for foreign students to ensure their safety. I can also assure swift action against criminals nabbed who have attacked Indian students. The situation is under control and the Indians are living as a community in our country,” said Walters.

The delegation visited Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Kolkata - between 6 -15 July.

The delegation included represen-tatives of Australia’s international education and training sector and federal and state government agencies, including the Victorian State Police.

“The education delegation’s visit offers the opportunity to reassure the Government, the students and the Indian public that we are committed to ensuring the security and well-being of Indian students in Australia and that they have a safe and positive experience during the period of their study in our country,” said the Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr John McCarthy.”

By listening to the views of the government officials, parents and students in India, the Australian delegation will be able to better inform initiatives designed to assist Indian students presently studying or contemplating studying in Australia,” Mr McCarthy added.

The Australian delegation listened to the concerns of Indian officials, parents and students and will present details of the initiatives that have been taken in Australia to enhance the well-being of international students.



Sweden offers India civilian nuclear technology

Sweden, a member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group will be ready to offer India its niche expertise in nuclear waste management and security as it eyes India’s US$40 billion civilian nuclear energy market.

“Sweden has considerable expertise in nuclear waste management and areas relating to nuclear security. We are exploring opportunities of partnering with India in this area,” according to Sweden’s Ambassador to India Lars-Olof Lindgren.

A delegation of Swedish companies operating in the area of nuclear technology and safety management visited India in April on an exploratory trip. They held talks with officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and met India’s nuclear authority chief Anil Kakodkar.

The delegation comprised Swedish atomic companies such as Sandpit, Swenson, SKB International Consulting AB, Studbook, ES-consult and Rel con Candlepower AB.

Another Swedish delegation will be coming to India soon to explore opportunities in the nuclear energy area, the envoy said, adding that nuclear technology solutions is a promising area of future cooperation between the two countries.

Swedish companies are also in touch with Indian private companies such as Larsen and Toubro and Bharat Forge which are interested in the production of nuclear power, currently the monopoly of the government in India.

Sweden depends on nuclear power for nearly 50 percent of its energy needs. In a radical departure from its established policy, the Swedish government scrapped a three-decade ban on building new nuclear reactors in February this year, saying it needed to avoid producing more greenhouse gases. The Swedish government is now planning to replace old reactors with new reactors.

The Indian nuclear power market is estimated to touch US$40 billion or Rs.20,000 crore by 2020. Atomic companies from the US, Russia, France and Kazakhstan, the four countries with which India has signed bilateral nuclear pacts, are vying to get a share of the nuclear pie. British companies specializing in nuclear safety and research have also opened contacts with India.



India, South Korea ink trade pact

India signed a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement with South Korea on 7 August. Anand Sharma, Minister for Commerce and Industry visited Seoul to sign the agreement. The Cabinet had approved the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea on 2 July. South Korea will be the second country after Singapore with which India will be signing such a treaty.

The trade agreement is expected to come into effect starting 1 January 2010 after the South Korea Parliament ratifies the deal. Discussions for an India-Korea CEPA started in early 2006 and concluded this year. Out of the 5300 tariff lines, 70 percent of the items tariffs will be completely eliminated within a period of 8 years. While India maintains a negative list of 15 percent of items, South Korea has included 8 percent of the items in the negative list. India’s negative list includes agricultural, textiles and auto sectors items. In 10 percent of items, tariff will be reduced up to 5 percent, in 10 percent items tariff will be halved from their current rate.

The treaty includes trade in goods and services as well as investments. It also contains chapters on competition and intellectual property rights. India is also the only country to obtain a commitment for temporary migration of professional workers under Mode 4 of WTO rules. South Korea has not offered such a commitment in any other bilateral agreement.

Through this bilateral treaty, India expects more integration to a developed nation like South Korea. The agreement is also expected to encourage South Korean auto firms to invest more in India and see it as an export hub.