International Business Opportunities

US officials have written to nine Indian firms based in the US, asking them to account for their workforce, and explain how the visas were granted.
The US authorities are concerned that the Indian companies are trying to avoid hiring skilled American workers.

US authorities grant a total of 65,000 temporary working visas every year. (see H-1B Visa Now Just a Critical Tool for Indian Outsourcing Vendors)

However, in recent months, the US has become concerned that many companies are bringing over lower-paid Indian workers at the expense of the more expensive Americans.
In the past few years, the US has been urging India to open up its own economy to American businesses.
Many US companies have come to India, lured by the fortunes of firms that have flourished because of the strength of the Indian economy.
(
source: BBC)

Senior trade representatives of India and China today forecast that the bilateral trade volume will surge from the current $25 billion to $40 billion by 2009, a full year ahead of the target set by the two governments.
During the first quarter (Jan-Mar) of this year, bilateral trade has touched USD 8.2 billion, soaring by 58 per cent, Vice President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Wang Jinzhen said. […]

Member of Indian Parliament and Managing Director of Videocon Industries Ltd., Rajkumar Dhoot, heading an ASSOCHAM delegation to China, noted that the growth in Chinese exports to India was among the fastest for the world’s third largest trading power.
However, he noted that Chinese investment in India was very low, only accounting for 30 per cent of all foreign direct investment approved by the country. This must improve, Dhoot said, adding the business communities of the two countries should look into the business opportunities more seriously.
(source)

The European Commission has today welcomed the formal adoption by European Member States of negotiating mandates for a new generation of Free Trade Agreements with India, South Korea and ASEAN.

New independent research released by the European Commission today suggests that the agreements could add more than 40 billion euros to EU exports annually and provide wide new trade opportunities for all sides.

The European Commission, which will negotiate on behalf of EU Member states, expects to launch negotiations in the months to come.
(source: europa.eu)

Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Wednesday to work together to reach a free trade agreement which would liberalize more than 90 percent of bilateral trade by value.

The prospective free trade agreement, which will be Japan’s first such deal with a regional bloc, is expected to be signed early next month, when economic and trade affairs ministers from Japan and ASEAN members meet in Brunei, Japanese officials were quoted as saying. (Source)

Industry lobbies in U.S. are working towards activist’ agenda to eventually lead up to a free trade agreement between US and India, potentially the largest ever such deal.

The US India Business Council is working out plans to prepare and execute a roadmap to create a US-India free trade agreement. […] As a first step, the council has invited a phalanx of high-end Washington-based consultants, to create the research, prepare and define, and then execute the roadmap to chart a logical progression towards deeper, more robust US-India trade and investment climate.[…] Trade expert professionals are being solicited to join the initiative… (Source).