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U.S.-India Seek Stronger Economic Ties
by Winter Casey
United States and Indian officials met in Washington last week to try to strengthen ties between the two countries.
The officials agreed to focus on promoting bilateral trade and investment. They also plan to consider a technology component for the U.S.-India Economic Dialogue, a Bush administration effort to deepen economic ties between the two nations. Currently the dialogue addresses trade, commerce, finance and environment.
Additionally, the delegation is considering involving experienced businessmen in the meetings.
The participants in last week's discussions included: Allan Hubbard, assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council; Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman; Ambassador of India Ronen Sen; and E. Anthony Wayne, the interim undersecretary of state for economic, business and agricultural affairs.
President Bush will welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the White House on July 18 with hopes of furthering relations between the two countries. The two leaders are expected to discuss many issues influencing U.S.-India cooperation, including economic and strategic concerns.
U.S. Delegation Discusses Piracy In Europe
A delegation of U.S. officials is in Europe this week as part of the Bush administration's Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy. The group, representing seven U.S. agencies, plans to meet with leaders in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Commission, to discuss global piracy and counterfeiting.
"This administration is committed to strengthening intellectual property rights protection and enforcement at home and abroad," U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said in a release. "In this campaign, we will be working with our trading partners to provide a fair market for artists, inventors, scientists and entrepreneurs around the world. Our outreach to Europe marks the continuation of the administration's sustained global effort to build international cooperation against piracy and counterfeiting."
To better target pirates and makers of counterfeit products, the United States has proposed standardizing the trademark registration process, strengthening border controls, increasing investigations and prosecutions of money laundering related to trade in pirated goods, and imposing tougher legal consequences for crimes in those areas.
Also in Europe, the European Commission has requested that businesses provide online feedback on how to reduce regulation and bureaucracy.
"We are keen to hear which rules need to be simplified because they stand in the way of sustainable growth, deter business investment or hinder job creation," Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement. "This commission has already come a long way to improve the regulatory environment. We have strengthened the consultation procedures, new legal proposals have to be subject to a rigid impact assessment, and we are screening existing proposals and laws for its effectiveness."
The commission also has authorized public funding for the Northern Irish Language Broadcast Fund in the United Kingdom to support the production of television and film in the Irish language. The aid, made available under the commission's state aid treaty rules, will be given to independent, audiovisual production companies and potentially broadcasters.
And in other news, a new market analysis report by Insight Research predicts that European spending on Internet telephone technology gradually will diminish and become a smaller percentage of all European international calls by 2011.
Prepping For The World Information Summit
The European Commission has been preparing for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, Tunisia, from Nov. 16-18. During the meeting, an international consensus is expected to be reached in terms of Internet governance and financial mechanisms for bridging the "digital divide" between developed and developing countries.
"The Internet is arguably the most powerful tool we possess for safeguarding freedom of expression and other human rights," Viviane Reding, the European Union's information society and media commissioner, said in a statement. "This makes international cooperation in managing Internet resources, and arrangements for funding this cooperation, a vital concern for policymakers and Internet users worldwide."
The commission has said it does not believe debate concerning questions that were settled in the first phase of the summit should be reopened, and it has urged focus be placed on implementing principles and developing strategies.
The European Union also supports financial mechanisms such as the Digital Solidarity Fund, which was created to foster development of the information society in Africa, and would like to see the focus placed on the international management of the Internet's core resources.
Across the ocean, representatives from the Caribbean and Latin America also will be preparing for the Tunis summit at a regional conference to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this week. A regional action plan will be developed during the discussions, which are expected to cover "open source" software, Internet governance, interconnection costs for the Internet, digital development and inclusion, and financing mechanisms.
The WSIS regional conference was organized by the Brazilian government and the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Peru, China Sign Tech Agreements
Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo said last week in China that his country welcomes Chinese investment, China Daily reports. Toledo and Chinese President Hu Jintao signed seven cooperation accords, including agreements on economic and technological cooperation.
"I believe that, with our joint efforts, the China-Peru comprehensive cooperative partnership will definitely produce fruitful results and bring benefits to the two countries and the two peoples," Hu said.
In other news, Japan Corporate News Network reports that the Japan Science and Technology Agency, in collaboration with the Riken Institute, has created a DNA database system. The system, launched June 3, includes a number of DNA tools and databases.
Viet Nam News reports that Vietnam lawmakers want the country to adopt a law on electronic transactions as soon as possible to establish a legal foundation for Internet commerce.
And Cellular-News reports that the distribution of adult videos to mobile phones in Australia will be outlawed following the release of new Internet and mobile content guidelines by the Australian Broadcasting Authority. The rules were developed by the Internet Industry Association in response to government recommendations in May 2004 and will be reviewed after 12 months.
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