According to US President Donald Trump, BRICS member India has agreed to drop its tariffs on the US. It was reported on Monday that India offered the Trump administration a zero-for-zero tradeoff for tariffs on auto parts, steel, and pharmaceuticals.
Speaking at the Oval Office today, Trump credited himself as the reason behind India agreeing to eliminate tariffs on US goods. “They’ve already agreed. They would have never done that for anybody else but me,” Trump said in a media scrum. The two countries are engaged in ongoing talks of a new trade deal following the United States’ imposition of 10% sweeping trade tariffs on all countries. US President Donald Trump introduced the plan in an effort to balance trade, with the focus being on new agreements that would fulfill this charge.
Representation from India has not confirmed Trump’s claim that they’ve agreed to slash all tariffs on US goods. The two countries remain in talks, according to Trump. Also on Tuesday, India and the United Kingdom came to terms on a new free trade agreement. Indeed, the deal had been reached after three years of negotiations. The deal will reportedly make it much easier for the UK-based company to export various goods, including automobiles. Moreover, it will cut taxes placed on India’s clothing exports, the BBC reported.
Furthermore, Trump says that the US is “open for business” for deals with several countries on tariff talks. However, one country not included is India’s BRICS partner, China. China and the US remain in heated discussion over tariffs between both countries, including an over 140% tariff on the Asian country. Trump said today that his administration “could sign 25 deals right now” on trade, although none have been finalized by both sides yet, including India.