Washington, May 17 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has claimed that India offered to remove all tariffs on American goods, but added that he was in no rush to finalise a trade deal despite the apparent breakthrough.
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Donald Trump said India is a top example of a country with barriers he is determined to dismantle.
“They make it almost impossible to do business. Do you know they’re willing to cut 100 per cent of their tariffs for the United States?” the President said.
But Trump also sent mixed signals on how close a deal could be, saying, “That’ll come soon. I’m in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us.”
He added that he is not planning to “make deals with everybody.”
However, reacting to Donald Trump’s claim that India has offered a trade deal with “literally zero tariffs,” External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday said that the ongoing negotiations are complex and far from final.
“Between India and the US, trade talks have been going on. These are complicated negotiations. Nothing is decided till everything is. Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries. That would be our expectation from the trade deal. Until that is done, any judgment on it would be premature,” EAM Jaishankar said while speaking to reporters.
Trump’s remarks suggest that while some countries may be signalling readiness to reset their trade relationship with the US before a pause on higher import duties expires in July, some of these nations might have to witness the US making unilateral decisions about the rates they will face.
The comments come as the Trump team eyes a broader reshaping of global trade dynamics.
Earlier on Friday, Trump said he is planning to set new import duty rates for trading partners over the “over next two to three weeks”.
Trump said he also dangled the prospect of expanded trade with India’s rival Pakistan.
The President previously said it was a factor in the US effort to broker a ceasefire understanding between the two countries amid their ongoing border disputes following the Pahalgam terror attack in India.
“I’m using trade to settle scores and make peace,” Trump said.
The US has also sought to de-escalate a trade fight with China, a move Trump framed as an act of generosity to the world’s second-largest economy.
After recent talks, the US slashed its rate on China to 30 per cent from 145 per cent, and Beijing lowered its tariff levels from 125 per cent to 10 per cent, with the countries looking toward further discussions.
“If I didn’t do that deal with China, I think China would have broken apart,” Trump said.
–IANS
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