Under Secretary Mario Mancuso co-chaired the 6th annual HTCG in New Delhi, India, with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.  Representatives from the Departments of Commerce, State and Defense traveled with the Under Secretary to this year’s HTCG, which focused on defense and strategic trade, biotechnology, information technology, and nanotechnology issues.

The U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) was formed in 2002 to provide a forum for discussing U.S.-India high-technology trade issues and building the confidence necessary to facilitate trade in sensitive items. The HTCG Statement of Principles provides the framework under which the group operates. Work conducted within the HTCG has led to many positive developments in the U.S.-India trade relationship and has helped to promote bilateral high-tech trade, including:

• Less than 0.5% of U.S. exports to India require a dual-use export license and approximately 95% of license applications were approved in 2007;

• From 2003 to 2007, processing times for dual-use applications dropped 37% to 33 days on average;

• More than 87% of the value of controlled dual-use trade to India no longer requires a license as a result of NSSP implementation, and trade in Advanced Technology Products increased by over 145% from 2006 to 2007.

• Increased private sector interaction has occurred with the two governments, including industry events under HTCG auspices and outreach activities targeting business communities in both the U.S. and India.

The HTCG is a two day event which includes both industry and government dialogues.  On the first day, U.S. and Indian industry representatives discuss ways in which the U.S. and Indian governments can facilitate trade and present the governments with their specific recommendations for each of the covered sectors. These industry recommendations provide a substantive basis for the government to government meetings on the second day of the event.