The meeting is the first time WTO members have gathered since Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a 25 per cent tariff on US imports of steel and 10 per cent on aluminum.Some local industries have suggested the government seek an exemption alongside other US allies instead of raising complaints with the World Trade Organisation.Mr Azevedo said Washington maintained that global trade had changed since the WTO, which deals with the global rules of trade between nations, was set up in 1995.Two senior Indian trade ministry officials said a group of WTO members including China, Japan, India and South Korea are self tapping screw manufacturers likely to protest against the US decision to raise import taxes.

“The US wants some upgrade and reforms (in the WTO) and the conversations with the US are going on,” he said.Indian trade minister Suresh Prabhu has said he hopes the meeting, which is also attended by deputy US trade representative Dennis Shea, could push the multilateral process forward after talks in Buenos Aires last December failed amid fears of a trade war. India’s steel and aluminum exports to the US amount to about .Even though the US has declined to declare the steel and aluminum tariffs at the WTO, they can still come under its jurisdiction if countries affected raise complaints.

Meanwhile, Washington has raised complaints at the WTO against India’s export subsidies, estimated to be billion a year, which it claims flout multilateral trading rules.Mr Azevedo told reporters that the global trade environment was quite risky and the trade body had sought an “open and honest” conversation with its members.New Delhi: The US has raised concerns about the functioning of the World Trade Organisation and asked for reforms, WTO director general Roberto Azevedo said on Monday, as global trade tensions increased.

The director general said the outcome of the meeting, which does not have a fixed agenda, here will be “useful to the conversations that we will be having in Geneva to try and move forward on all the items”.5 billion and account for about 2 per cent of that country’s total steel and aluminum imports.They, however, said the final stance would be known only after discussions on Tuesday.

New Delhi is worried that a direct confrontation with the Trump administration could impact the interest of software exports to the US, estimated at nearly 60 per cent of 0 billion annual software exports.“This is a moment we are facing many challenges inside and outside WTO,” he said