US Co seek business opportunities in Indian mkt

Washington, July 6: A business development mission to India, sponsored by the US Commerce Department, will be in India in November with representatives from a wide range of US companies.

US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Franklin L Lavin, announcing the mission said "US trade with India has nearly doubled in the last three years, and the opportunity for US businesses to export there has never been better,".

"As our economic relationship grows, we must work closely together to ensure that American companies have the opportunity to compete and identify new customers in the fast-growing Indian market," he added.

The mission stems from a commitment by President George W Bush to elevate the Commercial Dialogue during his March 2006 visit to India. In May, Lavin and Indian Secretary of Commerce S N Menon discussed regular contact at all government levels to discuss day-to-day issues that affect business in each other's markets.

India is one of the few countries in the world with which the United States has a sub-cabinet dialogue of this nature. The United States currently has sub-cabinet level commercial dialogues with Brazil, China, the EU and NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico.

The International Trade Administration is responsible for developing US trade policy, identifying market access issues and administering US trade laws.

It also enhances global competitiveness of the US manufacturing and services sectors, and coordinating US trade advocacy efforts on behalf of US businesses.

UNI