US President Donald Trump has claimed that India has offered to remove all tariffs on goods coming from the United States. He made this announcement in Doha, Qatar, during a meeting with business leaders. Trump said, “They are willing to literally charge us no tariff,” but he did not give any more details about this supposed offer. So far, the Indian government has not responded to this statement.
This news comes just before Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's visit to the US starting May 16. He is leading a team to continue trade talks between the two countries. His visit follows a trip by US Vice President JD Vance to New Delhi in April, where he discussed trade matters, including avoiding new US tariffs on Indian goods.
During his speech, Trump also spoke about Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. He said he told Cook that he does not want Apple to make phones in India. “I don’t want you building in India,” Trump told Cook, and added that Apple should increase production in the US instead. Apple has been planning to expand its manufacturing in India as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on China.
Trump’s comments come at a time when India is already upset over his recent social media post about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Trump claimed he used trade as a tool to stop the conflict, but Indian officials denied this.
Recently, the US had paused extra tariffs on most trading partners except China. Talks between the US and China have made progress, with both sides agreeing to cut tariffs for 90 days. This has led to worries in India, as businesses that had moved from China to India may now go back.
India is currently in trade talks with the US. Officials say a smaller trade deal might happen in the next 45 days, while a full Bilateral Trade Agreement could take until September or October. Meanwhile, India has also warned of retaliatory duties on the US, due to American tariffs on steel and aluminium.
