US President Donald Trump on Monday called America’s trade ties with India a “one-sided disaster,” further stating that New Delhi has offered to reduce tariffs to “almost nothing” but it is “getting late” His remarks come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.
Sharing a post on his account on Truth Social Trump posted, “What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest “client,” but we sell them very little – Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades.”He accused India of imposing some of the world’s highest tariffs, which, he said, have long prevented American companies from gaining a foothold in the Indian market.“The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US,” he wrote.
India’s top item of exports to United States
The US President further asserted that India has offered to reduce tariffs, but argued that “it’s getting late.”“They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!” he noted.Trump’s criticism comes just days after his administration imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.Amid Trump’s tariff offensive, PM Modi’s SCO visit and bilateral talks signaled a strong message to Washington, underscoring India’s deepening ties with Russia and China.
Bilateral meet with Xi Jinping
On the first day of his visit, PM Modi held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. During the meet, the Prime Minister said that cooperation between India and China will pave the way for “welfare of the entire humanity.”Meanwhile, Xi offered an olive branch to PM Modi as he said that the Dragon and the Elephant should come together as the world is going towards transformation.
US is the largest export market for India by a wide margin
Russia-India-China troika on display
PM Modi, on the second day of his visit, shared warm moments with Putin and Xi Jinping as they met on the sidelines of the summit. The three leaders exchanged handshakes, hugs and smiles in a rare display of camaraderie.Sharing pictures on X, PM Modi wrote: “Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit.”PM Modi also shared images of him and President Putin travelling together to the venue of the bilateral meeting.
‘Brahmins are profiteering’
Trump- led US administration has also intensified its criticism of India with US senior advisor Peter Navarro warning New Delhi against aligning too closely with Moscow and Beijing.Later, in a sharp rebuke, Navarro told Fox News that India’s discounted oil purchases from Russia were indirectly funding the Ukraine war, alleging that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.”“Look, Modi’s a great leader. I don’t understand why he’s getting into bed with Putin and Xi when he’s the leader of the biggest democracy. Before Putin invaded Ukraine, India hardly bought Russian oil. Now they buy at discounts, refine it, and resell at a premium to Europe, Africa, and Asia. That fuels the Russian war machine,” he added.The tariffs, combined with Trump’s repeated attacks on India’s trade practices shows the continues pressure that US is trying to put on New Delhi over its ties with Russia and China.Starting August 7, US imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on select Indian imports, followed by another 25% ad valorem duty a few days later.From August 27, a 50% tariff is set to hit key sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, shrimp, leather, footwear, chemicals, and machinery.
