One year of Trump 2.0: The twists and turns that impacted India and Indians
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In just one year, US President Donald Trump has upended the global order, using his historic return as arguably the world’s most powerful leader to treat friends, foes and allies alike to achieve desirable results. His most potent tool is tariffs, though he hasn’t shied away from political and military interventions either.
India, which enjoyed expanding trade, migration, and diplomatic relationships with the world’s largest economy over the past decade, saw one roadblock after another after Trump’s return. The relationship also took an awkward turn over Trump’s claim that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan (one of the eight wars the US president claims he has ended), and when Washington imposed a 25% penalty for purchasing Russian oil. The country, in particular, faced troubles in two areas: trade and migration.
India has been facing 50% US tariffs, which include an additional 25% tariff for purchasing Russian oil since 27 August. The steep tariffs put India at a significant disadvantage compared to other emerging-market peers, such as China (around 32%), Vietnam (20%), and Bangladesh (20%). While steep tariffs were expected to be a huge blow for India, exports have shown resilience so far.
In September-December, exports to the US saw only a marginal decline of 1% to $25.57 billion. Though the sectoral impact has been significant. Many labour-intensive sectors recorded a sharp year-on-year fall in the September-November period, such as gems and jewellery (60%), plastic and linoleum (44.3%), glassware (44%) and fertilisers (33.3%), suggesting that the tariffs are biting smaller Indian exporters.
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