US President Donald Trump stated that he has a "very good relationship" with India, but his main issue with the country is that it has "one of the highest tariff rates in the world." He reiterated his warning about imposing reciprocal tariffs from the US starting April 2. During his recent summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump mentioned, "I have a very good relationship with India... I believe they will likely reduce those tariffs significantly, but on April 2, we will impose the same tariffs they impose on us."
Regarding the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Trump described it as a coalition of "wonderful nations" working together to "counter other countries that seek to harm us in trade." He emphasized, "We have a strong group of trade partners," but added, "We cannot allow those partners to treat us poorly; however, we often fare better in many respects with our adversaries than with our allies."
The US president remarked that nations which aren't traditionally seen as friendly sometimes treat the US better than those expected to be allies, like the European Union, which he accused of treating the US poorly in trade. He mentioned India and others as examples, stating they are countries that stand against those trying to harm US trade interests. Previously, Trump has criticized India as a "tariff king" and a "big abuser."
On March 10, Indian Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal informed a parliamentary panel that trade tariff negotiations with the US are still ongoing, with no agreement reached yet. India expressed its intent to strengthen trade relations with the US, including reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers through a bilateral trade agreement.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)