Trump says India is cutting tariffs following pressure from the US administration
US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that India has agreed to reduce its tariffs, stating that “somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done.” His remarks come amidst ongoing trade negotiations and increased scrutiny over India’s high import duties, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Trump accuses India of imposing “massive tariffs” on US goods and promises tougher action.
“India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India. They have agreed, by the way; they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done,” Trump said during a public address.
His comments follow reports that electric vehicle giant Tesla is seeking zero tariffs to facilitate its entry into the Indian market. India currently imposes vehicle import duties of up to 110%, a rate Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized as one of the world’s highest.
The steep tariffs previously caused Tesla to delay its plans to enter India, which is the third-largest automobile market globally
India takes a cautious approach while other countries retaliate against US tariff threats.
Trump defended his administration’s tariff policies against countries like Canada, China, Mexico, and India, set to take effect from April 2. “Our country has been ripped off by everybody, and that stops now. I had it stopped in my first term, and we’re going to really stop it now because it has been very unfair,” he asserted.
While Canada, China, and Mexico have imposed retaliatory tariffs and filed complaints with the World Trade Organization (WTO), India has chosen a more measured approach in the ongoing trade war.
India and the US advance talks on a Bilateral Trade Agreement
Commenting on the trade discussions, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “The two governments are in the process of advancing discussions on a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement. Our objective is to strengthen and deepen India-US trade, increase market access, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and enhance supply chain integration between the two countries.”
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