The United States has come under heavy fire from China for imposing high tariffs on Indian goods; Beijing’s ambassador to New Delhi called the action “unfair and unreasonable.”
Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong characterized the 50 percent tariff imposed on India as an abuse of economic power and a misuse of tariffs as a trade weapon during a seminar commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Despite the fact that free trade has historically benefited the US, he said that the US has decided to politicize commercial dealings and impose punitive tariffs in order to extract what he called “exorbitant prices.” Beijing’s resistance to Washington’s tariff regime and its larger policy of using trade penalties as leverage against nations doing business with Russia were emphasized by Xu’s comments.
A focal point in international trade tensions has been the US decision to impose a combined 50 percent tariff on Indian imports. This tariff is composed of a basic 25 percent tariff that was announced earlier this month and an additional 25 percent secondary sanction that will take effect on August 27.
President Donald Trump stated that India’s ongoing purchases of Russian crude oil, which he claimed had cost Moscow “hundreds of billions of dollars” since the sanctions started, were directly linked to the measures.
Trump threatened to implement “Phase-2” and “Phase-3” measures against nations that are economically aligned with Russia, stating that these tariffs were merely the beginning of a more comprehensive punitive regime. India is the second-largest customer of Russian oil after China, and the US president made it clear that if it does not diversify away from Russian suppliers, it could face harsher sanctions.
India has been subjected to harsher penalties, indicating Washington’s growing displeasure with New Delhi’s energy plan, while China has been temporarily exempted from extra tariffs until November due to continuing negotiations.
Trump has also maintained that tariffs are required to equalize what he views as unfair economic ties with Russia, in addition to being a means of applying pressure on it. He insisted that Brazil, China, and India had all placed high tariffs on American exports for decades while having more unrestricted access to the US market.
Trump called US-India trade a “one-sided disaster” during a press conference with the president of Poland, accusing New Delhi of defending its home industry at the expense of American rivals. He asserted that American businesses have long encountered obstacles when attempting to enter the Indian market, even though India exports a significant amount of commodities to the US.
In this context, the US president disclosed that India had offered him a “no tariff” arrangement to reduce tensions following recent tariff hikes.
Trump slammed the move as “too late,” claiming that Washington’s escalation of its trade war was the only reason for the concessions, even if he presented this as a validation of his strong stance.
Beijing, meanwhile, has attempted to portray the rising hostilities as a chance for China and India to unite in opposition to Washington’s assertive trade policies.
As both countries work toward their developmental objectives and try to guide the world economy in a multipolar path, Ambassador Xu reaffirmed the significance of Sino-Indian cooperation. He reiterated Beijing’s view of India-China cooperation as essential to creating a “Asian century,” citing the recent conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping.
By highlighting shared historical legacies and the collective responsibility of Asian players to counter destabilizing external pressures, Xu positioned this argument within the larger thematic framework of his speech, Learning from History to Safeguard the Light of Peace, Joining Hands to Chart a Blueprint for Development.
An emerging triangular fault line in global economic diplomacy is highlighted in the episode: China is presenting itself as both a vocal critic of US economic coercion and a possible ally for India in weathering the storm, India is struggling with the combined pressure of its energy needs and mounting penalties from Washington, and the United States is using tariffs and secondary sanctions to weaken Russia’s oil trade.
Trump has indicated that more severe sanctions are still to be imposed, but New Delhi is finding it more difficult to strike a balance between preserving economic access to the US market and ensuring vital energy security.
However, China’s overt backing for India on this issue implies that Beijing sees a chance to improve relations with India despite long-standing border and security problems by putting both nations’ interests ahead of Washington’s tariff-heavy policies.
