American President Donald Trump has doubled the tariff against India to 50 percent. Trump has given the reason of promoting the Russia-Ukraine war behind imposing heavy tariffs against India. He said that India is buying huge amounts of oil from Russia and is financially helping it to continue the war in Ukraine. However, India has called this step of Trump illogical and said that America and European countries are also doing business with Russia.
India has also said that it will take every necessary step to protect its interests. This stance of Trump against India is being discussed a lot in the American media. Questions are being asked in the American media that why did Trump’s stance become like this towards India which was being considered a strategic partner? China is a big trading partner of Russia. It imports more oil from Russia than India. There is a lot of discussion about this in the American media.
The American media is also talking about the impact of Trump’s decision on the relations between India and America. It is being said that this will also create obstacles in challenging China strategically in the Indo-Pacific region. The American media has also criticized Trump’s comment on the Indian economy and India has been described as the world’s fastest growing economy.
The American newspaper ‘Wall Street Journal’ has made an editorial comment on the whole matter. The newspaper has asked Trump a question regarding China. The comment written by the editorial board of WSJ says, “President Trump warned that if India continues to buy Russian oil, then America will impose a 50 percent tariff on India. But the question is being raised that when China is buying much more Russian oil than India, then why has it been spared till now?”
The Wall Street Journal has described India as America’s 12th largest trading partner. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The 50 percent tariff imposed by America will be one of the highest tariffs imposed on any country. However, it is much less than a bill pending in the Senate.” The newspaper said that a proposal to impose a 500 percent tariff on those buying Russian oil is pending in the Senate. More than 80 senators have supported this bill so far and a vote may also be held on this bill in September.
The Wall Street Journal has linked Trump’s move to preparing China to distance itself from Russia. The newspaper has said, “It is possible that this is a part of Trump’s effort under which he wants to prepare China to distance itself from Russia.” “However, China is providing Russia with important technology for war and this week Ukraine presented evidence that Chinese mercenaries are fighting alongside Russia near Kharkiv.” The newspaper has said that Trump’s imposition of tariffs on India can also have an impact on India-US relations.
The newspaper wrote, “Many previous US presidents have seen India as a strategic balance against China in the Asia-Pacific region. In such a situation, targeting India for buying oil from Russia and leaving China alone will not help in garnering support for the US in India.”
The American newspaper ‘Washington Post’ has said that Trump’s decision has brought relations between India and the US to the lowest level in the last decade. The newspaper said that Trump’s decision was not unexpected but the high tariffs surprised everyone. The Washington Post has written that PM Modi is trying to strike a balance between satisfying his domestic supporters and pacifying the US. At the same time, he is adamant on maintaining partnership with Russia.
The Washington Post wrote, “Last year, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said that India bought Russian oil because America wanted someone to buy it at limited prices, so that the global oil prices do not rise.” The newspaper has said that Trump’s relations with Modi soured when India denied Trump’s claim on tension with Pakistan. After avoiding confrontation for a long time, India has now started responding publicly. The newspaper quoted experts as saying, “Despite the pressure, Modi will not end trade with Russia. India will need America more than Russia, but for now it will maintain a balance between the two.”
The New York Times has described Trump’s tariff on India as ‘economic war’ and compared India’s situation to Brazil. The newspaper wrote, “President Trump on Wednesday virtually declared economic war against India. In Trump’s second term, it was expected that he would use India to face the challenge of China. But the 50 percent tariff indicates that India is a ‘political enemy’, as happened with Brazil. When Trump threatened heavy tariffs during a confrontation with the leftist president there. This dispute has now gone far beyond mere trade terms.”
The New York Times mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit in February this year. At that time, PM Modi had described America as India’s economic development partner, saying, “In American language it would be called ‘Make India Great Again’ i.e. MIGA. When America and India come together, MAGA and MIGA together become ‘Mega Partnership for Prosperity’.” The newspaper has written that Trump smiled at this speech of PM Modi.
The newspaper has written that last year the total trade between India and America was about $ 130 billion. The major items purchased from India include medicines, auto parts, electronic goods and gems. The New York Times wrote, “This move of Trump will also affect the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries, on which India has a special advantage. About 40 percent of the generic medicines sold in America are made in India. American company Micron plans to start chip manufacturing by investing $ 2.5 billion in Gujarat.”
According to the newspaper, after the Covid epidemic, India has reduced its dependence on China. Apple, Blackstone and other big international companies have invested billions of dollars. But the threat of 50 percent tariff can weaken this entire strategy. Expressing doubts over India’s cooperation with the US over China, the newspaper wrote, “India’s position in the service sector is strong. India earns $65 billion annually from IT and other professional services, which is more than the trade deficit. Still, India-US cooperation over China is no longer that certain.”
In another article, the New York Times wrote that Trump has taken the biggest risk so far to achieve his goal of ending the Ukraine war ‘within 24 hours’ of his second term. The newspaper wrote, “Trump’s decision has put the relationship between the US and its important strategic partner in Asia, India, at stake.” According to the New York Times, China is Russia’s biggest buyer and Turkey has also increased energy relations with Russia after the war began, but no such penalty has been imposed on them.
The newspaper quoted analysts as saying that Trump’s ‘pressure policy’ could harm the long-standing Indo-US relations. The newspaper wrote, “India is an important partner for the US to compete with China and is also important for companies like Apple, which has shifted some of its production from China to India.” This year India will host the ‘Quad’. This group has been formed to stop China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The New York Times has said that after Trump’s imposition of tariffs, it is not clear whether Trump will come to India to attend this meeting or not. The New York Times has said that if India stops importing oil from Russia, then fuel will become expensive in India. On the other hand, if it ignores Trump’s warning, then the trade between India and America will be affected.
The newspaper wrote, “Half of India’s $86 billion exports to the US could be affected. The US is India’s biggest trading partner.” The New York Times said that China is Russia’s biggest oil buyer. But, there is no indication that Trump will adopt a policy similar to India’s against China. The newspaper also said, “Trump called India’s economy ‘dead’, but the reality is that it is the world’s fastest growing big economy.”
In its article, Bloomberg mentioned the talks between Prime Minister Modi and Brazilian President Lula da Silva and PM Modi’s visit to China. Bloomberg wrote, “Although Modi’s talks with Lula and Modi’s visit to China were already scheduled, it became important after Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on India.” Bloomberg also wrote, “India, Brazil, China and Russia are the founding members of the BRICS group. Trump has described this group as anti-American. The US President has also imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazil.”
Experts of diplomacy and international politics have raised many questions on Trump’s tariff decision. Erik Solheim is a former Norwegian diplomat and former minister. He has explained why Trump is harming the India-US relationship. Erik wrote on X, “There are deep relations between America and India. When Donald Trump was elected US President, his popularity in India was very high. Most Indians felt that the relations between the two countries would reach new heights. But it is difficult to understand why Trump constantly takes steps to weaken this relationship.”
According to Eric, all countries should understand that loyalty and old relationships have no lasting value for Trump. Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the think tank Brookings Institution, believes that Trump’s priority is to make a deal with China. Tanvi Madan has written, “President Trump believes that if there are any other powers in the world besides America, they are China and Russia. Trump wants to make a deal with China right now. He personally has no dispute with China or Xi Jinping and China has the capability to harm America.”
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