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NDTV
4 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
19 Days Until Trump's 50% Tariffs Take Effect: How India Can Respond
US President Donald Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, citing New Delhi's imports of Russian crude. Announced on Wednesday, the 25 per cent levy takes the earlier announced tariffs of the same amount on Indian imports to US to a the highest imposed by Washington on any trading parner. It is set to take full effect by August 27. Major US retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Gap have already paused apparel and textile shipments from India. Buyers are unwilling to share the extra cost and have asked exporters to absorb it. The White House says the tariffs are meant to pressure India economically and diplomatically, but India calls them "unfair" and "unilateral." The US is India's biggest export market, buying 18 per cent of everything India sells abroad and making up about 2.2 per cent of India's GDP. What Are India's Options? With the new rates taking effect on 27 August, the next 19 days are crucial. Reduce Russian Oil Imports The question is whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will back away from Russian trade to avoid the "Russia penalty" or stand firm. Dr Chietigj Bajpaee of Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) said India began moving away from Russian arms and oil even before Trump's pressure, describing the Russia-India relationship as in "managed decline," according to the BBC. Deepen Other Alliances Ajay Srivastava of GTRI, believe this could push India closer to Russia, China, and other partners. PM Modi's upcoming visit to China for the SCO summit could even revive India-Russia-China trilateral talks. Make Concessions In Agriculture, Dairy Trade talks are stalled over US demands for greater market access in these sectors. Concessions could unlock a trade deal but carry a high domestic political cost. 'For us, our farmers' welfare is supreme,' PM Modi declared at a New Delhi event. He said, 'India will never compromise on the well-being of our farmers, dairy sector, and fishermen.' Use Investment Leverage India's "China-plus-one" appeal could still attract investors like Apple, whose semiconductor-based production is unaffected. Rivals like Vietnam offer lower tariffs, threatening momentum. Support Exporters Directly Japanese brokerage firm Nomura warns current export support measures may not offset such steep tariff disadvantages, and only top-level diplomacy can save a trade deal that seemed within reach weeks ago. The government vows to take "all actions necessary" to protect national interests, while opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has called the tariffs "economic blackmail." Retaliation Retaliation is possible, Barclays Research says, recalling India's 2019 tariffs on 28 US goods in response to earlier steel and aluminium duties, some of which were rolled back in 2023. The next 20 days will determine whether India and the US can avoid a costly and unpredictable trade fight.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
The Turning Tables: Geopolitics behind the tariffs
Dr. Shalini Saxena is currently working as a Professor in Political Science and International Relations in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Royal School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati, Assam, India. Prior to this, she served as a Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science, Amity Institute of Social Science, Amity University, NOIDA. She completed her Ph.D. from Lucknow University in March 2010. Before that, she earned her from the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, specializing in International Politics. She also holds an M.A. in Political Science from the Department of Political Science, University of Lucknow. Her core interest areas include international relations, state and local governments, international organizations, campaign management and polling, journalism, electoral politics, research, and university and college teaching. She has published numerous research articles and book chapters in reputed national and international journals. In addition to convening national conferences and workshops, she has edited a book titled 'Rethinking Contemporary Indian Polity.' She is also a course developer and content creator in the fields of Political Science and International Relations. LESS ... MORE The recent US tariffs on Indian goods have sparked a debate that goes beyond economics. At first glance, these measures look like responses to trade imbalances or industrial subsidies. Looking closer, however, there is a deeper shift underway. This shift is rooted in changing alliances and strategic positioning. New power blocs are emerging quietly. These tariffs seem less about fixing trade deficits and more about sending a signal. The US aims to show strategic displeasure. The tariffs are not only punitive, intended as a penalty, but also preventive. They are meant to deter India from leaving the US-led global order. By imposing tariffs, the US sends a calculated message: return to the Western fold or face consequences. India has not responded as the US may have expected. Instead of backing down, India reinforced its multipolar foreign policy with new assertiveness. After the Pahalgam attacks, India reportedly refused several US demands. These may have included calls for more Western alignment, trade concessions, or less engagement with Russia. Instead, India softened its stance toward China. This was an unexpected diplomatic move and led to a rare, cautious warming of India-China ties. This shift has quietly set the stage for a potential India-Russia-China (IRC) axis, a scenario that has long haunted US foreign policy circles. For decades, preventing a cohesive alliance among these three powers has been a strategic imperative for the US, given the potential of such a bloc to challenge US hegemony in both Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, the US has found some success in re-engaging with Pakistan, which had drifted into China's sphere of influence due to its reliance on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistan's gradual pivot back toward the US has provided Washington with a crucial regional counterbalance. The recent visit of Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir to Washington, including a high-profile lunch interpreted by many as a symbolic 'thanksgiving', highlights this new alignment. The reestablishment of the US-Pak ties is strategically important as Iran, China, and Pakistan signal increasing cooperation, threatening the US interests in the broader region. In contrast, India's refusal to be boxed into a singular alliance system has not gone unnoticed in the US. Its growing closeness with Russia and slightly improved ties with China are seen as defiant acts in an increasingly polarised global environment. With the US dollar's dominance being questioned, and alternative financial and strategic frameworks emerging, these developments point to larger, tectonic shifts in the global order. The US, once the uncontested architect of global rules, now finds itself responding to a new reality, one where power is dispersed, alliances are fluid, and influence must be earned rather than assumed. As India charts its course with strategic autonomy, and regional dynamics continue to evolve, the tariff war may only be the opening salvo in a broader contest over the shape of the emerging world order. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
India Gazette
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Consul General of Russia in Chennai pays courtesy visit to Telangana CM
Hyderabad [Telangana], May 20 (ANI): The Consul General of Russia in Chennai, Valerii Khodzhaev, paid a courtesy visit to Telangana Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy. J Snehaja, Regional Passport Officer, Hyderabad was also present at the occasion. In a post on X, the Chief Minister's Office stated, 'The Consul General of the Russian Federation in Chennai, HE Mr. Valerii Khodzhaev, paid a courtesy visit to the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Shri Revanth Reddy, at his residence in Jubilee Hills. Smt. J. Snehaja, Regional Passport Officer, Hyderabad was also present on the occasion.' The meeting came as Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, claimed that the West was allegedly trying to fracture India-Russia-China relations, RT India stated on May 16. 'Western policy in the region is an attempt to create a 'clash' between 'our great friends and neighbours India and China,' he said, RT India reported. 'What is happening right now in the Asia-Pacific region, the West has begun to call it the Indo-Pacific region in order to give its policy a clear anti-Chinese direction, hoping to thereby additionally gain the opportunity to pit our great friends and neighbours India and China against each other. Recently, President Putin recalled that it's simply a divide-and-rule policy,' he said. Ever since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia and China are fostering closer ties, as Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 8 told Russian leader Vladimir Putin that his country will stand with Moscow against 'unilateralism and hegemonic bullying' during a visit to the country to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Al Jazeera reported. Xi hailed the 'deeper' trust developing between the two countries, appearing to take a swipe at Western critics of Russia's continuing offensive in Ukraine, which Putin has characterised as a war against latter-day Nazis, as per Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, ever since Trump took office, Russia-US ties have improved significantly. On March 18, US President Donald Trump held a crucial phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to secure a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. The Trump administration is pushing for an immediate halt to hostilities after Ukraine agreed to a temporary cessation of fighting, provided Russia does the same, ABC News reported. (ANI)
India Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
West is plotting to fracture India-Russia-China relations: Russian Minister
Moscow [Russia], May 16 (ANI): Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, claimed that the West was allegedly trying to fracture India-Russia-China relations, RT India stated. Western policy in the region is an attempt to create a 'clash' between 'our great friends and neighbours India and China,' he said, RT India reported. 'What is happening right now in the Asia-Pacific region, the West has begun to call it the Indo-Pacific region in order to give its policy a clear anti-Chinese direction, hoping to thereby additionally gain the opportunity to pit our great friends and neighbours India and China against each other. Recently, President Putin recalled that it's simply a divide-and-rule policy,' he said. Ever since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia and China are fostering closer ties, as Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 8 told Russian leader Vladimir Putin that his country will stand with Moscow against 'unilateralism and hegemonic bullying' during a visit to the country to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Al Jazeera reported. Xi hailed the 'deeper' trust developing between the two countries, appearing to take a swipe at Western critics of Russia's continuing offensive in Ukraine, which Putin has characterised as a war against latter-day Nazis, as per Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, ever since Trump took office, Russia-US ties have improved significantly. On March 18, US President Donald Trump held a crucial phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to secure a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. The Trump administration is pushing for an immediate halt to hostilities after Ukraine agreed to a temporary cessation of fighting, provided Russia does the same, ABC News reported. A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Putin is the 'only way' to move forward with talks on ending the war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday. Rubio's remarks came as a highly anticipated meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey was downgraded and moved to Friday, after Putin assigned low-level officials to conduct the talks. (ANI)
