TRUMP LASHES OUT AT INDIA BEFORE LEAVING G7 SUMMIT

TORONTO/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump lashed out against “very high tariffs” before leaving the G7 summit in Quebec, with his range of his diatribe also taking India into its swoop.

At a press conference prior to leaving Charlevoix, the venue of the global meet, Trump said: “This isn’t just G7. I mean, we have India, where some of the tariffs are 100%... And we charge nothing. We can’t do that. And so we are talking to many countries. We’re talking to all countries. And it’s going to stop. Or we’ll stop trading with them.”

That tough warning will, in particular, concern India in relation to the agriculture sector, one it has been careful to protect under bilateral or multilateral treaties.

Failing to get an exemption from the Trump administration’s new and controversial 25% and 10% tariff on steel and aluminium imports, India went to the World Trade Organization in May and sought “consultation” with the US, a necessary first step in any dispute settlement process at the global body. It has seen been joined by the European Union, Russia and China targeting the United States in separate filings. Thailand became the newest member of the group on June 5.

India has sought a retaliation claim to recover $31 million due to US levy on aluminium exports and $134 million on steel. It has also said it could target US exports in retaliation such as soya oil, palmolein and cashew nuts.