India asked for more H-1B visas, U.S. noncommital

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 4:36 PM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 2068 -- 10/27/2009 >>>>>

web version:
http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2009/10/27/india-asks-for-more-h-1b-visas-us-noncommital/

U.S Trade Representative Ron Kirk met with Indian Commerce Minister Anand
Sharma for the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting in India. One of
India's top agenda items was to get more H-1B visas, but all they got was lip
service.

This is what Kirk had to say about the meeting:

http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2009/october/remarks-united-states-trade-representative-ron-kir
Remarks of United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk at the Trade Policy
Forum Press Conference

Let me begin once again by expressing my gratitude on behalf of our
entire United States delegation to Minister of Commerce and
Industry Anand Sharma, and Commerce Secretary Khullar for their
extraordinary hospitality in helping to host and welcome us for
what has been a wonderfully productive sixth U.S.-India Trade
Policy Forum.

So, India gave our trade representatives the Taj Motel red carpet service.
Kirk's statement was the typical boilerplate that follows international
meetings. By "productive" Kirk probably means that they didn't throw spicy
curry in each others face.

According to India's Economic Times:

On the issue of a more liberal visa regime for Indian professionals,
the US assured India that it would take up the issue with the US
immigration department and see what changes could be made. "We have
made a note of India s concerns and are going to certainly discuss
it with our colleagues (in the immigration department),"
Mr Kirk said.

Kirk is giving them a skillful bureaucratic answer that commits the U.S. to
nothing. The Indians probably didn't realize that there is no "immigration
department" in the U.S., although we do have the USCIS. Of course the only
ones that can actually do anything about immigration are our Congress, which
Kirk forgot to mention (tsk! tsk!). Hopefully the Indians don't figure this
out before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits the US next month (don't worry
-- none of those guys read my writings). LOL!

From the sounds of things, there wasn't as much cooperation as everyone is
claiming:

In the much talked about example, we open up our agricultural market
to Indian mangos. These freely flow into our country. In return, we
had hoped to export pistachios, which are very strong staple of your
diet, not grown domestically and high-end motorcycles. Today, not
one Harley Davidson motorcycle has been sold in India, he added.

Here is a family of 5 on Motorcycle in India that would probably love to
own a Harley.
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/60441/590217

The mango controversy never seems to die. First it was mangos for nukes and H-
1Bs, now it's mangos for pistachios and motorcycles. In my opinion that's a
very big improvement! If you don't know what I'm talking about then you
probably haven't seen my world renowned video: "Mangos that Glow in the Dark".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgukFLIzOCw

For more background, be sure to read the newsletter that was published before
the meeting took place:

http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2009/10/20/india-to-ask-us-for-more-h-1b-visas/
India to ask US for more H-1B visas

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/travel/visa-power/Kirk-promises-to-take-up-Visa-issue-in-US/articleshow/5166332.cms

Kirk promises to take up Visa issue in US

27 Oct 2009, 0044 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: India and the US have decided to intensify cooperation in the area
of liberalising trade & investment, strengthening intellectual property and
building a digital library on traditional knowledge. In the bilateral trade
forum meeting on Monday, US trade representative Ron Kirk also assured
commerce & industry minister Anand Sharma that his department would take up
the issue of liberalising visa regime for Indian professionals with the US
immigration department that handles the issue.

We have decided to work on a framework on cooperation on trade and investment

and two agreements on intellectual property cooperation and on traditional
knowledge digital library, Mr Sharma said addressing a press conference.
While stating that there was no timeline for concluding these agreements, the
minister said that they would be concluded soon.

The US pushed for a number of concessions on the trade front including opening
up the Indian market for pistachios and lowering of duties on the US iconic
bike Harley Davidson. Only one Harley Davidson has been imported by India so
far, the USTR said stressing that the import duties were prohibitive. He
added that India should open its markets for pistachios from the US just like
the US had allowed imports of Indian mangoes.

While the framework on cooperation on trade and investment will identify ways
to increase trade and facilitate investments, the agreement on intellectual
property will attempt to give ``comfort and reassurance to investors in both
the countries about the safety of their innovations, the minister said. He
added that India had already made a number of changes in the IPR regime to
make it strong.

USTR Ron Kirk said in his press conference that it was a point of concern that
even after 14 years of discussions, India remained in the priority watch list
of the US as far as intellectual property was concerned. He, however, added
that it was heartening to see that India was making changes at the
intellectual property and judicial level to have a stronger regime.
In an effort to check bio-piracy and protect its traditional knowledge, India
also impressed upon the US on the need to build a digital library of
traditional knowledge in both countries so that unscrupulous individuals and
organisation trying to patent a product or its use that has been known to
people through generations get caught.

US had earlier granted patents for medicinal uses of neem and haldi, which was
later withdrawn when India took up the issue with the US government and proved
that it was part of India s traditional knowledge.

On the issue of a more liberal visa regime for Indian professionals, the US
assured India that it would take up the issue with the US immigration
department and see what changes could be made. "We have made a note of India s
concerns and are going to certainly discuss it with our colleagues (in the
immigration department)," Mr Kirk said.

Mr Sharma said that the Indian side had pointed out to the US the important
role played by Indian IT professionals in their country and the employment
that Indian IT companies had generated.

With bilateral trade exceeding $ 43 billion in 2008, India is the 18th largest
supplier of goods to the US market, while the US is India s second largest
goods supplier. The India-US trade policy forum meeting, which began in 2005,
met for the first time under the Barak Obama administration.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.vattal.com/india-should-open-market-to-us-companies-ron-kirk/

India Should Open Market to US Companies: Ron Kirk

Posted by admin on Oct 26th, 2009 22:20:01 and filed under Breaking News,
Business, National. ShareThis

New Delhi, Oct 26 -- The US has asked India to further improve its
intellectual property regime and open its market for US firms, even as both
countries worked towards finalising a framework agreement on trade and
investment, which will be signed soon.

We have made great progress towards a formal framework towards cooperation on

trade and investment which we hope to sign in the very near future, visiting
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk told reporters Monday after co-chairing the
sixth annual India-US Trade Policy Forum with Indian commerce minister Anand
Sharma here.

Kirk was in India earlier in September when he attended the mini-ministerial
meeting of the the World Trade Organisation on the Doha Round trade talks.
Sharma visited Washington earlier this month.

Describing the meeting as extraordinarily productive , Kirk said that one of
the goals for travelling to India within two months was to improve the tone
and frankness of the discussion .

These discussions will further strengthen trade ties between the two countries
ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh s visit to US next month, he said.

There was room for improvement, especially in strengthening of intellectual
property and access of US goods and financial services into Indian markets,
said the US official.

Kirk said the US would like to see more improvement and openness in the
investment environment for US businesses in India.

In the much talked about example, we open up our agricultural market to

Indian mangos. These freely flow into our country. In return, we had hoped to
export pistachios, which are very strong staple of your diet, not grown
domestically and high-end motorcycles. Today, not one Harley Davidson
motorcycle has been sold in India, he added.

India-US trade doubled in the last three years. India s exports to the US were
$20.7 billion (Rs.93,200 crore), which is over 12.7 percent of its total
exports, while imports were $21 billion.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Commerce Minister Sharma said India
has assured the US of strengthening its intellectual property regime.

IPR is a serious issue. The Indian industry also wants strong copyrights

against violations. Both countries have agreed on IPR cooperation and we hope
to sign it soon, he said.

The minister added that he took up the issue of raising the cap on visas for
skilled workers (H-1B) in his meeting with the US trade official.

We have raised our concerns before the US representative and have given them

the details in this regard. They have identified it and understood the
seriousness of the issue, he said.

H-1B visas, which are non-immigrant US visas for skilled professionals, given
for up to six years, are highly popular with Indian IT companies.

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