Topline<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump slammed U.S.-India trade as a \u201ctotally one sided disaster\u201d on Monday morning, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in what looked to be a unified front at a summit in eastern China. <\/p>\n
Trump slammed the United States’ trade relationship with India as a “totally one sided disaster” in a post on Truth Social. (Photo by Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Trump, in a Truth Social<\/a> post, said the United States sells little to India but India sells the United States \u201cmassive amounts of goods, their biggest \u2018client,\u2019\u201d slamming what he portrays as a lopsided trade relationship \u201cfor many decades.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump alleged the \u201creason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India,\u201d claiming the country has since offered to cut tariffs on U.S. goods to \u201cnothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Reuters reported<\/a> the U.S. had a $45.8 billion trade deficit with India in 2024, and that India\u2019s average tariff rate on U.S. goods is 7.5%, citing India\u2019s trade ministry, though the U.S. Trade Representative’s office told Reuters India\u2019s tariff rate on U.S. auto imports is 100% and farm goods is 39%.<\/p>\n Trump also criticized India for buying Russian oil and military goods, weeks after he signed an executive order<\/a> hiking tariffs on India for importing Russian oil, which he said \u201cundermines U.S. efforts to counter Russia\u2019s harmful activities\u201d in Ukraine.<\/p>\n The United States\u2019 50% tariff rate on goods from India took effect<\/a> on Wednesday, which India has slammed<\/a> as \u201cunfair, unjustified and unreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Monday in Tianjin, China. (Photo by Sergey Bobylev\/Kremlin Press S.\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Anadolu via Getty ImagesWhat Happened At The China-Russia-India Summit?<\/p>\n Xi, Putin and Modi met in Tianjin, China, on Monday as China hosted the leaders of more than two dozen countries, putting on what looked like a unified front in a move some analysts called<\/a> was a pointed message to the United States, particularly by India, which has been frustrated by tariff negotiations with the U.S. The leaders were seen shaking hands, embracing and laughing with one another, and Putin, who took a backseat limo ride with Modi, referred to the Indian leader as his \u201cdear friend.\u201d Modi posted<\/a> a picture of his limo ride with Putin on his social media accounts, stating \u201cconversations with him are always insightful.\u201d Xi, in a speech at the summit, urged leaders to oppose \u201cCold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying\u201d in likely shots at the United States, the New York Times reported<\/a>. Putin<\/a>, in a speech, said \u201cunderstandings\u201d reached with the United States at their Alaska summit in August could pave a way for peace between Russia and Ukraine, but blamed the West for the war over its \u201cconstant attempts to drag Ukraine into NATO.\u201d The summit was Modi\u2019s first trip to China in seven years, and the leaders of Asia\u2019s largest countries agreed<\/a> they are development partners, not rivals, and to not let their disputed border in the Himalayas \u201cdefine the overall China-India relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n How Have Analysts Interpreted The China-Russia-India Summit?<\/p>\n Keir Giles, a senior fellow at London think tank Chatham House, told NBC News<\/a> the summit showed the \u201cclose relationship that Trump sought with Putin is now on display between Putin and others,\u201d noting the United States gave India \u201ca real cause to look for friendship and partnership elsewhere.\u201d Manoj Kewalramani, who heads Indo-Pacific studies at Bangalore, India\u2019s Takshashila Institution, told the New York Times<\/a> optics are a key part of the summit and that U.S. policies \u201cwill result in other countries looking for alternatives to meet their interests.\u201d<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Smiles and Clasped Hands as Xi, Putin and Modi Try to Signal Unity<\/a> (New York Times)<\/p>\n