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Trump calls trade with India 'a totally one sided disaster'; Indian media says US increases pressure on New Delhi lately

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Sep 02, 2025 12:24 PM

US President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his criticism of India, calling trade ties with the country "a totally one sided disaster," some US media reported.

Trump in a post on Truth Social said that India had offered to cut its tariffs to zero, but it was "getting late," and that the country should have done so "years ago," without elaborating on when such an offer was made, according to CNBC.

This comes against the backdrop of the US imposing 50 percent tariffs on the country, including secondary duties of 25 percent last month for purchasing Russian oil, which India has called "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," CNBC said.

Some Indian media outlets pointed out that in recent days, officials from the Trump administration have increased their public pressure on India. However, just as Trump issued his latest threat, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had just concluded his visit to China to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin.

Reuters reported that under Trump's trade pressure, Modi publicly demonstrated solidarity with the leaders of China and Russia.

Hindustan Times pointed out that trade talks between India and the US suffered a setback in August when an expected visit by an American delegation was abruptly put off amid rising tensions.

Trump reiterated that India was buying oil and arms from Russia, and accused New Delhi of selling the US "massive amounts of goods," but imposing high tariffs on US exports to India, CNBC said.

As part of its trade negotiations, India had expressed willingness to offer zero tariffs on some goods like auto components and pharmaceuticals, while barriers on sectors like agriculture and dairy remained red lines it wouldn't breach, Bloomberg News has reported earlier.

India has also made several moves this year, including overhauling its tariff regime to reduce import duties on prominent American goods like bourbon whiskey and high-end motorcycles made by Harley-Davidson Inc, Bloomberg said.

The 50 percent tariffs on the Indian goods, which came into effect last week, is expected to impact around $48 billion products including precious gems, textiles, and shrimps, NDTV said.

The Indian government has called for calm and said it is working on measures to offset any problem arising from the tariffs, including offering affected companies and sector aid and expanding export markets, according to the Indian media report.