India reversed a laptop licensing policy after behind-the-scenes lobbying by U.S. officials, who however remain concerned about New Delhi’s compliance with WTO obligations and new rules it may issue, according to U.S. trade officials and government emails seen by Reuters.
In August, India imposed rules requiring firms like Apple, Dell and HP to obtain licences for all shipments of imported laptops, tablets, personal computers and servers, raising fears that the process could slow down sales. But New Delhi rolled back the policy within weeks, saying it will only monitor the imports and decide on next steps a year later.
The U.S. government emails – obtained under a U.S. open records request – underline the level of alarm the Indian curbs caused in Washington, and how the U.S. scored a rare lobbying win by persuading Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s usually inflexible government to reverse policy.
U.S. officials have often been concerned about India’s sudden policy changes which they say create an uncertain business environment. India maintains it announces policies in the interest of all stakeholders and encourages foreign investments, even though it often promotes local players over foreign ones.
Some of the language in the documents was blunt, despite the bonhomie often displayed by both sides in public. U.S. officials were upset India’s changes to laptop imports came “out of the blue”, without notice or consultation, and were “incredibly problematic” for the business climate and $500 million worth of annual U.S. exports, the documents and emails showed.
Also read: Patanjali’s ‘unqualified apology’ in SC linked to ads
