US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that India has proposed reducing tariffs on American goods to zero, even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonstrated visible solidarity with Chinese and Russian leaders amidst intensifying trade friction with Washington.
Characterizing the US-India dynamic as “one sided,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account: “They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.”
Trump’s statement coincided with Modi’s attendance at a summit in China, where over 20 leaders from non-Western nations gathered under the umbrella of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation—a group increasingly galvanized by the United States’ recent global tariff measures. During the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted his vision for an alternative global security and economic framework that puts the “Global South” at the forefront, signaling a direct strategic challenge to US dominance.
While US-India ties have generally deepened in recent years, especially during Trump’s initial term due to mutual concerns about China’s assertiveness, relations have become strained by Washington’s tariff threats after India refused to halt Russian oil purchases, defying US pressure to isolate Moscow over its ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to World Trade Organization data, India maintained an average tariff of 6.2% on American imports in 2024, calculated on a trade-weighted basis, whereas the US imposed a 2.4% average duty on Indian goods. The trade-weighted average reflects the mean tariff rate per unit value of imported merchandise.
Trump now imposed 50% import tariffs on goods from India, including secondary tariffs of 25% last month for purchasing Russian oil.
