India will not ‘bow down’ to US after steep tariffs, trade minister says

Analysts person warned that the 50 percent work the US has imposed connected Indian goods is akin to a commercialized embargo.

India volition not “bow down” to the United States and volition alternatively crook its attraction to attracting caller markets, its commercialized curate has said, successful his archetypal nationalist remarks since the US’s stiff 50 percent tariffs connected Indian goods took effect.

Speaking astatine a operation manufacture lawsuit successful New Delhi connected Friday, Piyush Goyal said India was “always acceptable if anyone wants to person a escaped commercialized statement with us”. But, helium added, India “will neither bow down nor ever look weak”.

“We volition proceed to determination unneurotic and seizure caller markets.”

The remarks came arsenic the steep tariffs connected galore Indian imports into the US took effect this week arsenic punishment for New Delhi’s monolithic purchases of Russian oil, portion of US efforts to unit Moscow into ending its much than three-year warfare successful Ukraine.

Since his instrumentality to the White House this year, US President Donald Trump has wielded tariffs arsenic a wide-ranging argumentation tool, with the levies upending planetary trade.

The latest tariff salvo from Trump has strained US-India ties, with New Delhi earlier criticising the levies arsenic “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.

Trade talks betwixt the 2 countries person stumbled implicit agriculture and dairy markets.

Trump wants greater US access, portion Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined to shield India’s farmers, a immense elector bloc.

The US was India’s apical export destination successful 2024, with shipments worthy $87.3bn.

Analysts person cautioned that a 50 percent work is akin to a commercialized embargo and is apt to harm smaller firms.

Exporters of textiles, seafood and jewellery person already reportedly cancelled US orders amid losses to rivals specified arsenic Bangladesh and Vietnam, raising fears of dense occupation cuts.

Goyal said connected Friday the authorities would merchandise respective measures successful the coming days to enactment each assemblage and boost exports. “I tin accidental with assurance that India’s exports this twelvemonth volition transcend 2024-25 numbers.”

Meanwhile, days aft the US tariffs connected India went into effect, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit successful Washington, DC, has mostly upheld a May determination that recovered Trump overstepped his authority successful imposing cosmopolitan tariffs connected each US trading partners.

Trump had invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to warrant the move, claiming that commercialized deficits with different countries constituted a “national emergency”.

But the appeals tribunal questioned that logic successful Friday’s decision, ruling overwhelmingly against the broad tariffs.

The Trump medication is expected to entreaty to the Supreme Court, and the appeals tribunal truthful said his tariff argumentation could stay successful spot until October 14.