- The unfolding tariff scenario concerning Indian imports to the United States of America must be rankling every countryman for the way Donald Trump has gone about bullying with his often irrational moves. That those threats of imposing tariffs have come true means Indian leadership must take appropriate measures to thwart damage to our products, as any independent sovereign country would do. However, it is crystal clear that the way Trump is making efforts to undermine valid Indian concerns is nothing but hegemonic behaviour, which has no takers in the altered world order. Gone are the days when India used to be treated as a poor country with doubts raised about self-sufficiency. India has taken giant strides economically over the decades. The world knows.
PC: Hindustan Times
- Trump must realise that the present Union Government led by the indefatigable Narendra Modi will not cower down to pandering to the whims and fancies. In no uncertain terms, the Union Government has called out Trump’s additional tariff of 25% for what it is. He was wrong to think hegemony would work any longer. Three weeks from now, India will be the most heavily tariffed seller in the US market besides Brazil. Trump imposed an additional ad valorem duty of 25% on India for directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, taking the total to 50%. Of course, India saw this coming from the time Trump’s tone changed from friendly to brusque a week ago. The sweet talks are over, as is the suspense with the tariff reaching 50%.
PC: Bloomberg.com
- It’s impossible to fathom Trump’s logic here. From the start, China was the presumed target of his tariff war. The US runs its largest goods trade deficit with China, worth $295 billion in 2024. At one point, Trump raised tariffs on China to 145%, but China’s retaliation with a rare earths supply freeze made him see reason. Now, China is tariffed at 30%. If Russian oil triggers Trump, China, and Turkiye are also big buyers, yet they have not been penalized. It may be that Trump’s acting in frustration. He had boasted of ending the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office, but six months have passed, and Putin remains defiant. Perhaps, Trump believes that stopping oil revenues will bring Putin to the table. His imagination runs wild.
PC: BBC
- Trump is unable to pressure China for now. Thus, India possibly seems like a softer target to him. This is where he is making a huge mistake. For almost 80 years, India has refused to be cowed by hegemons. India has rightly termed Trump’s action unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable, and made it clear it will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests. The current discount on Russian oil is so little that India saves no more than $2bn a year. It could easily pivot to West Asian oil, but the resultant increase in crude prices would hurt all. Besides, if India chooses to pivot, it won’t be on Trump’s terms. India should also look beyond goods exports – tourism, for instance, to increase forex earnings.
