President Donald Trump said on Thursday that India has offered to eliminate tariffs on the United States as part of a potential trade deal but New Delhi soon poured cold water on Trump’s claims, saying negotiations were not complete.
“India is the highest one of the highest tariff nations in the world. It’s very hard to sell into India, and they’ve offered us a deal where, basically, they’re willing to literally charge us no tariff,” Trump said during a roundtable with business leaders in Doha, Qatar.
India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar later said talks were ongoing, calling negotiations between New Delhi and Washington “complicated” and “intricate.”
“Negotiations have been going on,” he told reporters in the Indian capital Thursday. “These are very complicated negotiations. They are very intricate. Nothing is decided till… everything is.”
The US president said the tariff India places on US goods is “so high” that it prevents much business from taking place between the two nations. The White House has long criticized India’s high tariffs, including 70% on autos, 20% on some networking equipment, 80% on rice imports. It also has chastised India for its non-tariff trade barriers, including burdensome regulatory requirements for importers.
A zero tariff if that’s in fact what India is offering would be a welcome change for US companies looking to export their goods to the world’s most populous country
“(India) have actually told us, I assume you too, (Treasury Secretary) Scott (Bessent)… that there will be no tariff, right? Would you say that’s a difference? They’re the highest, and now they’re saying no tariff,” Trump said.
Jaishankar told reporters the trade deal “has to work for both countries.”
“That would be our expectation from the trade deal. And until that is done. I think any judgment on it would be premature,” he said.
Credit: CNN