India, Taiwan get time till Apr’25 to resolve ICT dispute at WTO

New Delhi: In a breather for manufacturers of mobiles and components in India, the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement body (DSB) has accepted a request from India and Taiwan to further defer the adoption of the ruling against New Delhi’s import duties on certain information and technology products till April 25 next year.

This is the fifth time the adoption of the ruling has been deferred.

The two were earlier given time until September 19, 2023 then December 18, then April 26, 2024 and then October 31 to resolve the dispute regarding New Delhi’s import duties on certain information and technology products.

India has appealed against the ruling in its dispute with Japan and the EU. The dispute was filed in 2019 when the three members had challenged the import duty of 7.5%—later increased to 15%—levied by India in 2017. India further raised the duty to 20%. India had imposed these duties to boost local manufacturing.

“The US and Korea supported the two sides’ efforts to continue engaging with the aim of reaching a solution in the dispute,” said an official. The issue came up at a meeting of the DSB in Geneva on Monday.

The two sides are engaged in resolving the dispute mutually and had sought more time from the DSB to consider the adoption of the panel rulings in the case initiated by Taiwan on India’s tariffs on certain high-tech goods, people privy to the matter said.If the talks fail, Taiwan could adopt the WTO panel filings and India could take the case to the Appellate Body of the WTO, which hasn’t been functional for nearly two years due to the US blocking the appointment of judges.As per the rules of the WTO, the panel’s ruling will have to be adopted by the DSB for implementation within 60 days of the release of the order.