Trump denounces US-India trade relations as a ‘one-sided disaster’
President Donald Trump has sharply criticised Washington’s trade relationship with New Delhi, branding it a “completely one-sided disaster.”
“What most people don’t realise is that the US does very little business with India, while they conduct a huge amount of business with us,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday.
“In other words, they export massive amounts of goods to us — we are their biggest customer — yet we sell them very little. For decades it’s been a lopsided relationship, until now,” he continued.
Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian imports went into effect late last month, partly aimed at punishing India for continuing to import Russian oil. This followed his earlier move to impose a 25 percent baseline tariff on Indian products.
Blaming India’s steep import duties for keeping American companies out of its market, Trump said: “India has, until now, imposed the highest tariffs of any country, which prevented our businesses from selling in their market.”
He also pointed to India’s reliance on Russian energy and weapons, saying: “India buys most of its oil and military supplies from Russia, very little from us. They’re now offering to drop their tariffs to zero, but it’s too late.”
“They should have done that years back,” he added. “Just some basic facts for people to think about!!!”
The post came soon after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, where member states adopted a 10-year roadmap and pledged to strengthen both economic and security cooperation.
With around 20 heads of state and government attending — along with leaders of global organisations — the gathering was among the SCO’s largest since its 2001 founding and marked the fifth time China hosted the bloc.
As Trump’s tariffs rattled global trade, SCO leaders voiced support for preserving a multilateral trading system.
