[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian] Recently, after the China-US talks achieved results, India, which has always compromised and yielded to the United States, was exposed for a sudden change in attitude, proposing to increase tariffs on the United States. However, shortly thereafter, U.S. President Trump publicly stated that India had agreed to zero tariffs on the United States.

In just a few days, India's attitude toward the United States changed again and again. This inevitably raises questions: India, where is your backbone?

Seeing this, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hurriedly came forward to make up for it. According to reports by India's New Delhi Television (NDTV) and the American Cable News Network (CNN), on May 15 local time, Jaishankar said that the India-U.S. negotiations were "very complex" and everything was still undecided.

The report said that when asked about his views on Trump's relevant remarks, Jaishankar replied: "India and the United States have been conducting trade negotiations. These negotiations are very complex. Nothing can be finally determined until everything is settled."

"Any trade agreement must be mutually beneficial and advantageous to both countries," Jaishankar continued, "This is our expectation of trade agreements. Before that, it would be premature to make any judgment."

Jaishankar responded to Trump's remarks on May 15 Video screenshot

Jaishankar's above remarks were in response to Trump's earlier remarks on the U.S.-India trade negotiations that day.

On the same day, Trump said while meeting with business executives in Doha, the capital of Qatar: "It is very difficult to sell products in India, but they proposed an agreement to us, basically willing not to charge us any tariffs at all." Trump did not disclose more details, nor did he indicate whether the United States would lower tariffs on India or impose zero tariffs on India.

Trump also talked about Apple CEO Tim Cook's plan to transfer production to India. He revealed that he once told Cook that he did not want Apple to produce in India because India is one of the countries with the highest tariffs in the world.

Trump spoke in Doha Video screenshot

Data shows that the United States is India's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching approximately $129 billion in 2024. India's trade surplus with the United States is $45.7 billion. Trump has long complained that India's tariffs and trade barriers are too high, harming the interests of American businesses.

Since the beginning of Trump's second term, the Indian government has actively engaged with the United States on trade issues.

In February, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States, becoming the fourth foreign leader to be received by President Trump since he took office. After Trump announced "reciprocal tariffs" on April 2, India also became one of the first countries to negotiate trade with the United States. During this period, Modi made concessions on a series of issues ranging from trade to immigration to appease the White House.

Last month, the White House estimated that if India removes trade barriers, U.S. exports to India will increase by at least $5.3 billion annually. But CNN added that it is unclear how the White House arrived at these figures.

However, India was recently exposed for suddenly changing its attitude toward the United States, from active negotiation to proposing increased tariffs on the United States.

According to media reports on May 13, India previously sent a letter to the World Trade Organization, accusing the United States of imposing 25% steel and aluminum tariffs as trade protection measures, affecting Indian exports worth $7.6 billion and expected to generate $1.91 billion in tariffs. In response, India plans to raise tariffs on some U.S. goods.

Bloomberg pointed out that the above information indicates a shift in India's stance on trade issues, possibly taking the first retaliatory measure since Trump's return to the White House. This indicates that after China resisted the United States and achieved results, India is adopting a tougher attitude in negotiations.

The report said that it is unclear why India chose to take countermeasures at this time. The report considered it a negotiation strategy by the Indian government, as Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is set to visit the United States for trade negotiations on May 16. According to Indian officials, New Delhi plans to include the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods as part of the U.S.-India negotiations.

More importantly, the above news was disclosed a few hours before the United States significantly reduced tariffs on Chinese products. On the 12th, after high-level economic and trade talks between China and the United States, both sides agreed to reduce tariffs within 90 days, lowering the tariff rate by 115%.

At that time, Biswajit Dal, a professor at the Development Council for Social Sciences, an Indian research institution, also said that so far, the United States has been "giving orders to India." The proposed retaliatory tariffs are the first sign that India is willing to "stand up and take strong measures." Dal said that China prompted the United States to reach an agreement, indicating that India "must more firmly defend its own interests and show its courage."

This article is an exclusive article of Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without authorization.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505011725071057471/

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