President Donald Trump is making good on his promise to levy a 50 percent tariff on nearly all goods arriving from India, a major exporter of generic pharmaceuticals, electronics, and other goods to the U.S..
The move, which became official Wednesday, is meant to punish India for its refusal to stop buying oil from the Russians. Trump surprised the Indians on July 27 when he levied an initial tariff of 25 percent on the Asian country. Amid attempts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Trump threatened New Delhi with a higher tariff rate if officials refused to stop buying Russian oil but the Indians have not backed down.
Tensions have accelerated between Trump and India’s political administration over the last 30 days. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, previously a Trump ally, has reportedly refused the president’s calls for nearly a month as tensions flared over the looming tariffs. And in late July, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh denied Trump’s claims that the president’s political pressure campaign had helped broker a peace deal between India and its neighbor Pakistan.
The 50 percent tariff rate levied by Trump is one of the highest rates in the president’s ongoing global trade war, which began in April.
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