August 29, 2013
News Release 13-080
Inv. No. 332-543
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched an investigation to examine a wide range of Indian policies that discriminate against U.S. trade and investment.

The investigation, Trade, Investment, and Industrial Policies in India: Effects on the U.S. Economy, was requested jointly by the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means.

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will report on recent policies and measures in India that affect U.S. exports and investment and evaluate the effects of such barriers on U.S. firms and the U.S. economy.

In its examination, the USITC will enumerate restrictive trade and investment policies that India maintains or has recently adopted, determine which sectors of the U.S. economy are most affected by these policies, and describe the competitiveness of Indian firms in these sectors. The USITC will provide several case studies of U.S. firms or industries that have been particularly affected by India's restrictions.

As requested, the USITC will also perform a quantitative analysis of the effects of such measures. The USITC will survey a sample of U.S. firms to measure perceptions of India's policies and the impact of those policies on firms' strategies toward India. The survey results will complement the quantitative analysis of the effects of these policies on trade, investment, and the U.S. economy.

The USITC will deliver the report to the Committees by November 30, 2014.

The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation on February 13, 2014. Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on January 21, 2014, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. For further information, call 202-205-2000.

The USITC also welcomes written submission for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission at the above address and should be submitted at the earliest practical date, but no later than 5:15 p.m. on April 11, 2014. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.

Further information on the scope of the investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the USITC's notice of investigation, dated August 29, 2013, which can be obtained from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or by contacting the Office of the Secretary at the above address or at 202-205-2000.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representatives, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commissions' objective findings and independent analyses on the subject investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigations reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.