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‘India has independent standing’: Economist Jeffrey Sachs calls Donald Trump's tariffs ‘unconstitutional’
Jeffrey Sachs’ statement comes amid US President Donald Trump's imposing 50 percent tariffs on imports from India.
Famed economist Jeffrey Sachs has warned that India would not reap any security benefits by siding with the United States.
Sachs’ statement comes amid US President Donald Trump's imposing 50 percent tariffs on imports from India. According to the economist, US politicians do not care about India.
“US politicians don't care at all about India. Please understand this. India is not going to reap long-term security by siding with the United States in the Quad against China. India is a great power that has an independent standing in the world. Everything that Trump is doing on tariffs is unconstitutional,” said Sachs during an interview with Hindustan Times.
Sachs explained that India should not count on some great trade relationship with the US, even though New Delhi could reduce Washington's dependence on the Chinese supply chains.
“When I was in India in the spring, I said, don't count on some great trade relationship. What India has hoped for, I believe, is that it would be a good partner of the United States because it would be a way for the US to, I'll put it charitably, reduce its dependence on China and increase supply chains with India. I tried to explain, don't count on that,” said Sachs.
Donald Trump's tariffs on India
Donald Trump has announced a 50% tariff on Indian exports, penalising the country for its Russian oil imports. India and Brazil share the top spot among countries on the US tariff list.
Trump’s decision to punish India came as negotiations between the two countries on a trade deal were expected to conclude. The US president’s remarks that India’s economy is “dead” and its tariff barriers are “obnoxious” further strained relations between the two countries.
India’s external affairs ministry termed the imposition of additional tariffs as “extremely unfortunate”, as other countries also trade with the Russian Federation.
