Relationship with India was 'one-sided': Trump amid tariff tension
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has said that his country gets along with India "very well," but that the relationship was "one-sided" for many years because New Delhi was charging Washington "tremendous tariffs." That one-sided relationship, he claimed, changed when he assumed office. Speaking from the White House, he said, "India was charging us tremendous tariffs, about the highest in the world." He claimed this had hurt American manufacturers and made it difficult for US businesses to operate in India.
India
'Foolishly, we weren't charging them'
"But they (India) were doing business with us because we weren't charging them, foolishly, we weren't charging them," he said, adding that India was pouring its products into the US. "They'd send it in, pour it into our country. Therefore it wouldn't be made here, which is a negative, but we would not send in anything because they were charging us 100% tariffs," Trump said.
Business impact
Harley-Davidson unable to sell motorcycles in India due to tariffs
Trump once again brought up the case of Harley-Davidson, which he said couldn't sell motorcycles in India due to a 200% tariff. He said this forced the company to set up a plant in India to avoid such tariffs. The US president also claimed that unfair tariff structures were driving companies to shift production outside America, but his administration's trade policies were reversing this trend.
Business relocation
Businesses want to build in US due to Trump's policies
Trump said many companies, including car manufacturers, are now coming into the US. He said these businesses see benefits in moving operations to America due to his administration's trade policies. "They want to build here for two reasons. Number one, they'd like to be here. And number two, the tariffs are protecting them. And number three, they want to avoid paying tariffs," he explained.
Tariff negotiations
Trump critical of India's oil, defense ties with Russia
On Monday, Trump claimed that New Delhi has "now offered to cut its tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late." On social media, he expressed frustration over India's dependence on Russia for oil and defense procurement. His comments come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.
Domestic priorities
PM Modi stands firm on domestic interests amid trade tensions
In response to trade tensions with Washington, PM Modi has reiterated his commitment to India's domestic interests. He said he couldn't compromise on farmers' interests despite the pressure from the US. The Trump administration had already imposed 25% reciprocal duties on Indian exports and last month added another 25% over New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.