(MENAFN - Arab Times) India has taken the United States to the World Trade Organisation over duties on Indian steel products, according to a notice Friday, in the latest commercial row between the nations.
The move by New Delhi came after Washington imposed duties of nearly 300 percent on Indian steel pipe imports, complaining they were unfairly subsidised.
"On 12 April 2012, India requested consultations with the US under the dispute settlement system" over the duties, the WTO said in a notice on its website.
Consultations are the first step in the WTO's complaints process, giving parties a chance to resolve their dispute without litigation. If no deal is reached after 60 days, the complainant can ask a WTO panel to adjudicate.
The steel row is the latest in a string of commercial disagreements between the two countries at the global trade body, with India last week challenging a visa fee hike for skilled workers.
India said the move discriminated against its flagship software firms who sending professionals to the US on short-term contracts.
Last month, the United States initiated a challenge to New Delhi's ban on poultry and egg imports, saying it violated global trade rules. India insisted it was a necessary protection against avian flu.
The disagreements have soured the bullish mood that followed the 2010 visit of US President Barack Obama to India that led to a raft of trade deals.
US Commerce Secretary John Bryson said on Thursday India had to be more transparent and accountable as the United States tries to bolster trade and investment with the south Asian country.
"We still have challenges in regards to transparency, accountability and openness in India," Bryson said at an event in Washington after taking 16 US businesses to India to invest in the country's massive infrastructure plan.
India wants the private sector to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure over the next five years. The United States wants a piece of the action and is encouraging domestic companies to invest in sectors such as road building, railways and energy.
Bryson said the United States still had concerns with everything from high tariffs and intellectual property to forced local sourcing in technology and electronics.
"It's clear that we still have hurdles to overcome but after this trade mission I believe more than ever that we can indeed overcome them," he said.
US exports to India have increased to more than 21 billion in 2011 from less than 4 billion in 2001, according to the Commerce Department.
