U.S. President Donald Trump criticized India's high tariffs on Thursday, committing to impose reciprocal levies in response. Speaking at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, Trump emphasized the United States' stance on fair trade practices.
\"We are right now a reciprocal nation,\" Trump stated. \"Whatever charges, we're charging them. Whatever another country charges, we're charging them. So it's called reciprocal, which I think is a very fair way.\"
He highlighted the challenges of selling American products in India, attributing difficulties to the country's trade barriers. \"I had discussions with India in the first term about the fact that their tariffs were very high,\" Trump said. \"And I was unable to get a concession. So we're just going to do it the easy way.\"
The president's remarks followed the signing of a presidential memorandum on the \"Fair and Reciprocal Plan,\" which outlines the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners. According to the White House Fact Sheet, India's average applied Most Favored Nation tariff stands at 39 percent, deemed \"unfair\" by the plan.
In addition to addressing trade issues, Trump announced a significant increase in military sales to India. \"Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,\" he stated, though he did not specify a timeline.
Media reports indicate that India has agreed to purchase over $20 billion in U.S. defense products since 2008. Trump also mentioned that India intends to increase purchases of U.S. oil and gas, potentially positioning the United States as India's \"number one supplier.\"
Ahead of Modi's visit, India has extended concessions to ease trade tensions, including lowering tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Prime Minister Modi expressed intentions to expand bilateral trade, stating, \"We have also set ourselves the target of more than doubling our bilateral trade to attain $500 billion by 2030.\"
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Trump slams India's high tariffs, vows to charge reciprocal levies
cgtn.com
