Give the bully...: Chinese envoy lambasts Trump as US hikes tariff on India
India was optimistic about signing a trade deal with the US but talks collapsed even after five rounds of negotiations over disagreements on opening India's agriculture and dairy sectors and pausing Russian oil purchases.
New Delhi: Amid tariff dispute with the US, India has found an unexpected supporter - China. Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong come down heavily upon US President Donald Trump for imposing tariff on over 90 countries, including India. India and Brazil are the worst hit countries by the Trump administration's sweeping tariff measures.
"Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile," the Chinese envoy to India wrote on X. He also shared a post quoting an excerpt from the talks between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Celso Amorim, the Chief Advisor to Brazilian President Lula. The post said, "Using tariffs as a weapon to suppress other countries violates the UN Charter, undermines WTO rules and is both unpopular and unsustainable."
India-US tariff war
India was optimistic about signing a trade deal with the US but talks between the two countries collapsed even after five rounds of negotiations over disagreements on opening India's agriculture and dairy sectors and pausing Russian oil purchases. The US has been pressuring India to allow increased market access to American agricultural and dairy products, a demand rejected by New Delhi, citing potential threat to its rural livelihood.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed additional 25 per cent additional tariff on Indian goods which he said was a "penalty" for purchasing Russian oil. The fresh penalty raised the total tariff imposed on Indian imports to 50 per cent -- the highest levy imposed against any country, along with Brazil. India called the US' decision "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and asserted that it would "take all actions necessary to protect national interests".
Trump recently also threatened to slap additional tariff on China owing to their Russian oil purchase. "It may happen, I don't know, I can't tell you yet, we did it with India and we are doing it probably with a couple of others, one of them could be China," Trump said during a news conference in the White House. India and China are among the countries that are the biggest importers of Russian oil.