Cooperation on an action plan and technical assistance to promote innovation, creativity and technological advancement by providing a vibrant intellectual property rights regime;
Initiation of a Bilateral Infrastructure Investment Program that will focus on identifying investment opportunities, incentives and challenges in key infrastructural sectors;
Various steps to address several sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues including Indian mango exports to the United States and U.S. almond, wax covered fruit and wheat exports to India;
Progress toward selecting participants for a working group on legal services to discuss market access and other relevant issues;
Continued discussions on tariff structures to facilitate wine and spirits trade as well as discussions on emissions standards for large motorcycles; and
The creation of a senior-level private sector adjunct to the Trade Policy Forum that will provide strategic direction, input and support to the TPF.
A listing of outcomes for the TPF will follow in a fact sheet.
BACKGROUND: The US-India Trade Policy Forum is an institutional arrangement between the two governments to discuss trade and investment issues. The Trade Policy Forum (TPF) was launched during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Washington, DC, in July 2005.
The inaugural, ministerial session of the Forum was held in November 2005 in New Delhi, the second session was in February 2006 in Washington, DC. Additional meetings at the Deputy level were held in March 2006 in New Delhi and again when Deputy USTR Karan Bhatia led a 25 member US Government delegation to New Delhi on May 30, 2006.
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