New Delhi: China has reacted to the United States’ decision to reduce tariffs on India from 50 percent to 18 percent. China’s state-run media outlet Global Times, citing an expert, reported that although the US and the Modi government appear to have reached an understanding on tariff reductions, there is a clear difference in the statements issued by the two sides.
China highlighted claims made by former US President Donald Trump, in which he asserted that India had assured the US it would stop purchasing Russian oil. Trump also claimed that India had agreed to increase purchases of American agricultural products, technology, and other US goods, and that tariffs on American products could be reduced to zero percent.
However, India has not commented on any of these claims. In a tweet posted after Trump’s statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not address these assertions. Instead, he thanked the United States and praised Donald Trump’s efforts toward promoting peace globally.
According to China, this contrast in messaging reflects a significant gap in the language used by the two leaders. Global Times quoted Qiang Feng, Director of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, as saying that this was not the first time Donald Trump had claimed that India would halt purchases of Russian oil.
Feng noted that Trump had made similar claims in the past, which India later rejected. He added that Trump’s assertions could only be verified if India were to issue an official statement on the matter.