Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong has criticised Washington’s steep tariffs on New Delhi, describing the US as a “bully” and urging stronger co-operation between India and China.
Xu said the US, which has long benefitted from free trade, is now using tariffs as a “bargaining chip” to demand “exorbitant prices” from other nations.
“US has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India and even threatened more. China firmly opposes it. Silence only emboldens the bully,” Xu stated in New Delhi on Thursday.
Earlier this month, former US President Donald Trump imposed a 25% penalty on India, in addition to existing tariffs, over its purchase of oil and weapons from Russia. The new rate will take effect on August 27.
India’s increased imports of Russian crude since the Ukraine war have strained ties with Washington and complicated talks on a trade deal. New Delhi, however, has defended its stance, saying that as a major energy importer it must secure the cheapest crude to shield millions of poor citizens from rising costs. Officials have also noted that the Biden administration previously encouraged India to buy Russian oil to help stabilise global energy markets.
Against this backdrop, ties between India and China appear to be warming after years of strain following the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clashes in Ladakh. Beijing and Delhi have since been gradually working toward normalisation.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Delhi earlier this week, stressing that India and China should see each other as “partners” rather than “adversaries or threats.” Xu echoed that sentiment, describing both countries as “double engines” of Asia’s economic growth and stressing that unity between them benefits the world at large.
The ambassador invited more Indian companies to invest in China while expressing hope that New Delhi would provide a “fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment” for Chinese enterprises operating in India.
“Tariff wars and trade wars are disrupting the global economic system, power politics and the law of the jungle are rampant, and international rules have suffered severe impacts,” Xu warned, alluding to Washington’s policies.
He further pledged that China would “stand firmly with India to uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core.”
Xu added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit would inject “new impetus into China-India relations.”
