President Donald Trump of the United States said that he thinks India will lower its tariffs on American goods. He also said again that he would put tariffs on India in return starting April 2.
In an interview with the American news, opinion, and commentary website Breitbart News, Mr. Trump talked about the bond between the United States and India.
What did Mr. Trump say about his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month? He said that he has a “very good relationship” with India. The website reported Mr. Trump as saying, “But the only thing I don’t like about India is that they have some of the highest tariffs in the world.” “I believe they’re likely going to lower those tariffs by a large amount, but on April 2, we will charge them the same tariffs they charge us.”
When asked about the India-Middle East-Europe-Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, Mr. Trump said it was a “group of wonderful nations” working together to “counter other countries that look to hurt us on trade.” He did not mention China by name. “ “The people we trade with are very strong,” he said. The United States signed the agreement to set up IMEC.
“Again, though, we can’t let those partners hurt us.” The website reported Mr. Trump as saying, “To be honest, we do better with our enemies than with our friends.” “The ones that wouldn’t be as friendly to us in some cases treat us better than the ones that are supposed to be friendly, like the European Union, which treats us terribly on trade,” Trump said.
The Indian government and everyone else would see them as allies. The same is true for other people. “But this group of great countries is strong against other countries that want to hurt our trade,” he said.
This month, Mr. Trump said that India had agreed to lower its tariffs by a large amount. He also said that India’s high tariffs make it hard for American companies to sell goods in India.
India and the US have not yet agreed on trade tariffs, but on March 10, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told a parliamentary panel in New Delhi that talks were still going on and that no deal had been made.
Mr. Trump doesn’t like how India charges such high taxes.
This was Mr. Trump’s first speech to Congress as president after his second term began on March 4. In it, he called the high taxes that India and other countries charge “very unfair.”
Mr. Trump has called India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” in the past.
As part of a bilateral trade deal, India had said it wanted to improve trade ties with the U.S. by lowering tariffs and other barriers.
Last month, when Mr. Modi visited the U.S., both countries said they were going to work on a multi-sector bilateral trade deal that would be good for both of them.
