WASHINGTON – The United States said Thursday it was considering revokingimport preferences for India, Indonesia and Kazakhstan over concerns abouttrade barriers and worker rights.
Exports from those countries could lose duty-free access to the US marketif the US Trade Representative decides the countries have violated theconditions of the Generalized System of Preferences.
“GSP provides an important tool to help enforce the Trump Administration’skey principles of free and fair trade across the globe,” Deputy USTRJeffrey Gerrish said in a statement.
“We hope that India, Indonesia and Kazakhstan will work with us to addressthe concerns that led to these new reviews.”
President Donald Trump has made trade central to his presidency, roilingmarkets and upsetting fellow Republicans by threatening to impose steeptariffs and scrap trade deals he says have undermined US workers andindustry.
He has yet to act on his harshest threats, however.
The USTR said it has concerns about trade barriers in India and Indonesia“that create serious negative effects on US commerce,” thereby violatingcriteria for GSP eligibility.
In addition, the US dairy and medical device industries have complainedthat India blocks their exports, USTR said in statement.
Meanwhile, the AFL-CIO, the largest US trade union federation, has accusedauthorities in Kazakhstan of denying workers there the right to unionizeand has harassed labour organisers.
The administration is reviewing GSP eligibility every three years, andlater this year will look at countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East,North Africa and the Western Hemisphere.