India meets criteria for GSP: Foreign Secretary

By Tpci | September 20, 2019 | 0 Comment

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale asserted on Thursday that India meets the criteria for trade concessions under the US’ Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). He added that it was up to America to take a call on reinstating India’s status as a beneficiary of that programme. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of 44 US lawmakers asked the Trump administration to reinstate India’s designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the GSP trade programme. The Trump administration terminated India’s designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the GSP on June 5.

At a press conference on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the US from September 21-27, Mr Gokhale said, “We have seen the letter written by these 40-odd Congressmen. It has always been India’s position that GSP is a unilateral decision given by countries to other countries based on certain criteria… We are a developing country, we meet those criteria. I do not recall our ever stating, we are not interested in GSP. To my recollection, the US unilaterally withdrew that concession from us,” Gokhale said.

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India meets criteria for GSP: Foreign Secretary