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Shashi Tharoor warns US over Donald Trump tariffs: ‘Alienating India risks…’
Shashi Tharoor warned that US tariffs could destabilise regional security and push India towards adversaries like China and Russia.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has strongly urged the United States to end its tariff war with India to preserve their crucial strategic partnership, which both nations and the world desperately need. He also warned President Donald Trump that alienating New Delhi risks weakening the Quad, destabilising regional security, and pushing India closer to US adversaries such as China and Russia.
In an opinion piece for The Indian Express, the senior Congress leader wrote that the US must recognise that strategic autonomy is not defiance — it’s sovereignty.
“India is not just a trading partner — it is a pivotal player in the Indo-Pacific. Alienating New Delhi risks weakening the Quad, whose summit India is supposed to be hosting later this year…,” Shashi Tharoor wrote.
New Delhi is facing global uncertainties due to heightened economic tensions following the US imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, including an additional 25 per cent because of its purchase of Russian crude oil, which, according to Washington, fuels Moscow's efforts in its conflict with Ukraine.
“Punishing India for its energy choices or defence procurement decisions, which any country can only do based on its vital national interests, is shortsighted and counterproductive," Tharoor wrote.
Tharoor drew a parallel to the “Who lost China?” debate of the late 1940s and early 1950s, suggesting that a similar “Who lost India?” blame-game could erupt in Washington if the US-India ties deteriorates further.
In four-point suggestions, Tharoor said the US should first lift the punitive tariffs that have hit India’s labour-intensive sectors, noting that these industries are struggling under the existing 25 per cent duties and cannot survive at the higher 50 per cent rate.
“Accelerate free trade negotiations, offering India a viable alternative to dependence on other markets by constructively discussing mutual concessions that could bring India down to the 15-19 per cent level enjoyed by its Asian rivals,” he said.
Tharoor also noted the importance of reviving high-level diplomacy, pointing out that a personal outreach from Trump to Prime Minister Modi could help restore warmth to their strained relationship.
The Congress MP underlined the need to expand cooperation in technology and defence, which would not only reinforce mutual trust.
Earlier in an interview in Al Arabiya English, Tharoor said the US President's tariffs have been “absolutely stinging” for India but added that India is not ready to forget 200 years of colonial power and allow a foreign country to dictate its policies. He also called the tariffs “completely unjustified”.
Tharoor also said the 50 per cent tariffs, which makes India the most tariffed nation in the world, along with Brazil, has had “quite a serious impact”.
“Factories are laying off workers…At that point, the imperative need to shore up relationships with other countries, other investors, other markets became much more urgent,” said Tharoor, referring to the SCO Summit attended by Modi in Tianjin, China.
