Trump: 'Good' India-US Ties But High Tariffs Remain Issue

New York/Washington, Mar 20 (PTI) US President Donald Trump said he has a “very good relationship” with India, but the “only problem” he has with the country is that it is “one of the highest tariffing nations in the world.”

Trump reiterated his threat to impose reciprocal US tariffs on the country starting April 2.

In an interview with Breitbart News, an American news, opinion, and commentary website, Trump discussed the US' relationship with India.

Asked about his summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, Trump said: “I have a very good relationship with India, but the only problem I have with India is they're one of the highest tariffing nations in the world. I believe they're going to probably be lowering those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us”.

On the India-Middle East-Europe-Economic Corridor (IMEC), Trump said it was a “group of wonderful nations” banding together “countering other countries that look to hurt us on trade.”

“We have a powerful group of partners in trade,” Trump said. “Again, we can't let those partners treat us badly, however, we do better in many ways frankly with our foes than we do with our friends.”

“The ones that wouldn't be as friendly to us in some cases treat us better than the ones that are supposed to be friendly, like the European Union, which treats us terribly on trade. India and everybody would think of them as an ally,” the US president said, adding, “I can say the same for others. But this is a group of wonderful nations that is countering other countries that look to hurt us on trade.”

Trump has repeatedly criticised the high tariffs charged by India. He has said that India is a very high tariff nation and reiterated that reciprocal tariffs on countries that impose levies on American goods will kick in on April 2.

In the past, Trump has called India “tariff king" and a “big abuser”.

Last month, during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House, Trump had said that India has “been very strong on tariffs”, and “I don't blame them, necessarily, but it's a different way of doing business. It's very hard to sell into India because they have trade barriers, very strong tariffs.”

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told a Parliamentary panel in New Delhi on March 10 that negotiations are still on and no agreement on trade tariffs has been reached so far between India and the US.

Trump has been criticising the high tariffs charged by India.

India had said it was looking at deepening trade ties with the US, including by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, under a bilateral trade agreement.

During Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US last month, both sides announced plans to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).