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Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Defending tariffs in US court, Trump administration says legal setback would put India–Pakistan ceasefire at risk
Defending the use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs, senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration have told the US Court of International Trade last week that a legal setback limiting Trump's emergency tariff powers would disrupt trade deals the US is pursuing and jeopardise the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, court filings showed. The lawsuit — which could have a widespread impact on global trade — was filed by small business owners in the US against the Trump administration. They argued in court that Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is unlawful because US federal law does not authorise presidents to impose tariffs, court documents showed. 'A ruling that narrows IEEPA would have ripple effects across every domain in which economic instruments are used for strategic effect. For example, India and Pakistan- two nuclear powers engaged in combat operations just 13 days ago- reached a tenuous ceasefire on May 10, 2025. This ceasefire was only achieved after President Trump interceded and offered both nations trading access with the United States to avert a full-scale war. An adverse ruling that constrains presidential power in this case could lead India and Pakistan to question the validity of President Trump's offer, threatening the security of an entire region and the lives of millions,' US Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick said in his submission to the court on May 23. According to the court filings dated May 24, the Trump administration said: '…the United States tactfully brokered a ceasefire in an escalating confrontation between two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan. The United States is also navigating and addressing a range of extremely consequential threats, from strategic acquisitions to naval drills to the export of deadly substances.' United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the court that trade negotiations are currently in a delicate state, with discussions ongoing and final deals yet to be reached, adding that these negotiations are 'premised on the ability of the President to impose tariffs under IEEPA. On Trump's claim on trade, India's Ministry of External Affairs' official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on May 13: 'From the time Op Sindoor commenced on 07 May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on 10 May, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions.' This assumes significance as India is negotiating a trade deal and is expected to sign an interim agreement within the 90-day reciprocal tariff pause window. Under the agreement, the US has sought access to several sectors that traditionally enjoy high protection, such as agriculture, automobiles, and alcoholic beverages. 'The success of the Nation, in these endeavours and into the future, is built off the dispatch and unitary nature of the executive, girded by necessary tools. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and President Trump's tariff actions under that Act, is one of those critical tools. The consequences of judicial intervention would be cascading and devastating, as declarations from four Cabinet Secretaries explain,' filings in the US Court of International Trade quoting the Trump administration stated. The Trump administration told the court that through tariffs, the President has also 'imposed leverage on foreign trading partners', so that these countries will address the 'tariff and non-tariff barriers' that have created an untenable US goods trade deficit and have 'hollowed out the United States' manufacturing and defence-industrial base'. 'In the President's judgment, the tariffs themselves will also reduce the United States' trade deficit, increase US manufacturing infrastructure, and strengthen America's defence-industrial base. And any attempt by the judiciary to second-guess the President on these national-security matters would be unprecedented, unravel the progress the President has achieved, and have far-reaching consequences to the United States' foreign, economic, and national-security posture,' a Trump official told the court. Rubio also warned the court that if it were to stop the President from imposing tariffs, 'US trade partners would likely believe that the President lacks power under IEEPA to promptly respond to their actions during the ongoing negotiations'. 'They may also perceive such a ruling as a vulnerability and encourage them to retaliate against the United States for attempting to impose tariffs and negotiate agreements to protect our national security. Notably, other countries declined to retaliate against the United States after the President made clear he would exercise his authority under IEEPA to impose additional tariffs, as he did with China,' Rubio said. India and the US had decided to conclude the first phase of the proposed bilateral trade agreement by the autumn (September–October) of this year. However, both sides have now agreed on an interim trade deal before the first tranche, to be finalised by 9 July. Nonetheless, Trump has continued his tariff rhetoric targeting India. After Apple announced that a majority of iPhones to be sold in the US would be produced in India, Trump said that Apple would have to pay a 25 per cent tariff if it sold iPhones in the US that are built in India or elsewhere. Trump also stated that he had told Apple CEO Tim Cook he does not want the company to expand its manufacturing operations in India unless it is to serve the Indian domestic market. Moreover, an April report by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) criticised various Indian trade barriers, including 'localised internet shutdowns that disrupt commercial operations' and regulations requiring that 'dairy products intended for food must be derived from animals that have not consumed feed containing blood meal'. 'India requires that dairy products intended for food be derived from animals that have not consumed feed containing internal organs, blood meal, or tissues of ruminant or porcine origin, and that exporting countries certify to these conditions, which lack a discernible animal health or human health justification,' the report said. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit US from May 27-29
New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Vikrma Misri will travel to Washington, DC for a two-day visit to the US to meet senior officials of the administration from May 27-29. Misri's visit to Washington, DC, is a follow up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in February this year, when both nations had launched the India-US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century, according to Ministry of External Affairs' statement. MEA stated, 'Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri will be visiting Washington, D.C., USA from 27-29 May 2025 to meet senior officials of the US Administration. The visit is a follow up to Prime Minister's visit to the United States in February 2025, when both sides had launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.' India and the US bolstered their ties during PM Modi's two-day visit with a series of initiatives across several sectors. US President Donald Trump and PM Modi launched a new initiative -'US-India COMPACT for the 21st Century' - to drive transformative change across key pillars of cooperation. Under this initiative, they committed to a results-driven agenda with initial outcomes this year to demonstrate the level of trust for a mutually beneficial partnership. This was PM Modi's first visit to the US since President Donald Trump's inauguration of the second presidential term in January. PM Modi is among the first few world leaders to visit the United States following the inauguration of Trump and was invited to visit the US within barely three weeks of the new administration. Highlighting the deepening convergence of US-India strategic interests, the leaders reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to a dynamic defence partnership spanning multiple domains, according to joint statement released after their bilateral meeting. To further advance defence ties, the leaders announced plans to sign this year a new ten-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership in the 21st Century. The leaders welcomed the significant integration of U.S.-origin defence items into India's inventory to date, including C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, P-8I Poseidon aircraft; CH-47F Chinooks, MH-60R Seahawks, and AH-64E Apaches; Harpoon anti-ship missiles; M777 howitzers; and MQ-9Bs. The leaders also pledged to elevate military cooperation across all domains - air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace - through enhanced training, exercises, and operations, incorporating the latest technologies. Recognising that this level of ambition would require new, fair-trade terms, the leaders announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025. The leaders committed to designate senior representatives to advance these negotiations and to ensure that the trade relationship fully reflects the aspirations of the COMPACT. (ANI)
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit U.S. from May 27-29; military cooperation on agenda
Foreign Secretary Vikrma Misri will travel to Washington, D.C. for a two-day visit to the U.S. to meet senior officials of the administration from May 27-29, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Monday (May 26, 2025). Mr. Misri's visit is a follow up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S. in February this year, when both nations had launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century, according to Ministry of External Affairs' statement. The MEA stated, 'Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri will be visiting Washington, D.C., USA from 27-29 May 2025 to meet senior officials of the US Administration. The visit is a follow up to Prime Minister's visit to the United States in February 2025, when both sides had launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.' India and the U.S. bolstered their ties during PM Modi's two-day visit with a series of initiatives across several sectors. US President Donald Trump and PM Modi had launched a new initiative -'US-India COMPACT for the 21st Century' - to drive transformative change across key pillars of cooperation. This was PM Modi's first visit to the U.S. since President Donald Trump's inauguration of the second Presidential term in January. To further advance defence ties, the leaders had announced plans to sign this year a new ten-year Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defence Partnership in the 21st Century. Highlighting the deepening convergence of U.S.-India strategic interests, the leaders had reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to a dynamic defence partnership spanning multiple domains, according to joint statement released after their bilateral meeting. The leaders committed to designate senior representatives to advance these negotiations and to ensure that the trade relationship fully reflects the aspirations of the COMPACT. (With inputs from ANI)
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Be sensitive to our concerns, basis for ties: India to Turkey & China
Almost two weeks after naming Turkey and China for their equipment and weapons being used by Pakistan against India during the military confrontation between May 7 and 10, India on Thursday asked both the countries to be sensitive to its concerns. 'We expect Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harboured for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other's concerns,' the Ministry of External Affairs' official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. On China, Jaiswal said: 'Our NSA and the Chinese FM and Special Representative on Boundary Issue Mr Wang Yi had spoken to each other on May 10, 2025, when the NSA conveyed India's resolute stance against cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The Chinese side is aware that mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity remain the basis of India-China relations.' On May 9, a preliminary probe into the debris after Pakistan's attempt to breach the northern and western fronts had suggested that the drones used by Pakistan were of Turkish origin, the Songar armed drone system. Songar is an armed drone system designed and manufactured by Asisguard, part of Asis Electronics and Information Systems, to serve as a force-multiplier for low-intensity conflicts. It is the first domestic armed drone system to be operated by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). It is Turkey's first indigenous drone armed with a machine gun. On May 12, for the first time since the Operation Sindoor operations started and India thwarted most of Pakistan's aerial attacks, New Delhi named China-supplied weapons in Pakistan's arsenal that were used against Indian Armed Forces. Director General Air Operations, Air Marshal A K Bharti, had presented visual evidence of the missile remnants during a joint military press briefing. 'You can see the pieces of it on the screen,' he had said, showcasing debris of the PL-15 that fell inside Indian territory, including a relatively intact rear section recovered from Hoshiarpur, Punjab. India's Armed Forces intercepted and neutralised a range of high-tech foreign weapons used by Pakistan, including Chinese-origin PL-15 air-to-air missiles and Turkish Byker YIHA III kamikaze drones. The naming of China was a first in the recent hostilities — all these years, New Delhi has closely tracked the expanding Sino-Pak military ties. According to a recent report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has emerged as the largest weapons supplier to Pakistan, accounting for 81 per cent of arms procurement of China's all-weather ally from 2020 to 2024. The procurement included the latest jet fighters, radars, naval ships, submarines and missiles. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Baseless': MEA rejects Pak claim on India role in Balochistan suicide attack
India on Wednesday rejected allegations by Pakistan about India's involvement in the Balochistan suicide bombing in which at least five people were killed, saying it is to 'divert attention from Pakistan's reputation as the global epicentre of terrorism'. The Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'India rejects the baseless allegations made by Pakistan regarding Indian involvement with the incident in Khuzdar earlier today. India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents.' 'However, in order to divert attention from its reputation as the global epicentre of terrorism and to hide its own gross failings, it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues. This attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail,' he said. At least three children were among five people killed when a suicide bomber struck an army school bus in Pakistan's Balochistan province, the military said on Wednesday. Around 40 students were on the bus that was headed to an army-run school and several sustained injuries, said Yasir Iqbal, the administrator of Khuzdar district, where the incident took place. Pakistan's military and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly released statements condemning the violence and accusing India of involvement in the attack, but did not share any evidence. The incident comes at a time when the tension between India and Pakistan is high, after four days of military confrontation between May 7 and 10.
