{"id":56878,"date":"2025-08-23T17:03:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T11:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/23\/india-us-trade-negotiations-eam-jaishankars-fierce-stand-on-50-percent-tariffs\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T17:03:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T11:33:28","slug":"india-us-trade-negotiations-eam-jaishankars-fierce-stand-on-50-percent-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/23\/india-us-trade-negotiations-eam-jaishankars-fierce-stand-on-50-percent-tariffs\/","title":{"rendered":"India-US Trade Negotiations: EAM Jaishankar\u2019s Fierce Stand On \u201950 percent\u2019 Tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New Delhi [India], August 23: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar<\/b> doesn\u2019t do diplomatic fluff. With Washington tightening the tariff screws, he cut through the noise: yes, India-US trade negotiations are still alive. No, India won\u2019t sacrifice its farmers or small producers to appease the White House. In his words, \u201cwe have some red lines\u201d, and those are not negotiable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tariffs Rising, Patience Running Thin<\/b><\/h2>\n

The India-US trade standoff has been brewing for months. Washington\u2019s latest move is brutal: a <\/span>25% extra duty already slapped on Indian goods<\/b>, with another <\/span>25% set to kick in on August 27<\/b>. That\u2019s a total 50% tariff wall, among the harshest the United States has ever erected against a partner economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The trigger? New Delhi\u2019s continued import of Russian oil. President Donald Trump framed the levy as punishment. But the punishment looks more like politics than economics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at a <\/span>World Leaders Forum<\/b>, EAM Jaishankar didn\u2019t mince words. \u201cNegotiations are still going on in the sense that nobody said the negotiations are off. People do talk to each other. It is not like there\u2019s a <\/span>kutti<\/span><\/i> there,\u201d he quipped, using the Tamil slang for a child\u2019s sulk.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words: don\u2019t mistake disagreement for divorce. The lines are still open. But they aren\u2019t blank cheques.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agriculture: India\u2019s Immovable Wall<\/b><\/h2>\n

If Washington thought tariffs would bully New Delhi into opening up its farm and dairy sectors, it miscalculated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur red lines are primarily the interests of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers. We are very determined on that,\u201d EAM Jaishankar declared. \u201cThat\u2019s not something we can compromise on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not just economics; it\u2019s politics. India\u2019s 120 million farmers are the backbone of the country\u2019s food security and a decisive voting bloc. Any Indian government, BJP or Congress, that caves on agriculture is signing its political death warrant.<\/span><\/p>\n

The US, of course, protects its own farmers fiercely with subsidies and tariffs. But it expects India to drop its guard. That hypocrisy was not lost on EAM Jaishankar\u2019s audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bilateral trade may have crossed <\/span>$190 billion<\/b>, but agriculture remains the big rock in the road. New Delhi simply won\u2019t allow American agribusiness to steamroll its rural economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Russia Oil: The Convenient Excuse<\/b><\/h2>\n

Trump\u2019s tariff strike is justified in Washington as punishment for India\u2019s crude imports from Moscow. But EAM Jaishankar called out the double standard with surgical precision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEurope trades far more with Russia than India does,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cIf the argument is energy, they are bigger buyers. If the argument is who is the bigger trader, they are bigger than us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Translation: the West is wagging its finger at India while filling Russia\u2019s coffers far more than we ever have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then came the knockout punch. On US criticism of India\u2019s oil purchases, EAM Jaishankar scoffed: \u201cIt\u2019s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business. If you don\u2019t like it, don\u2019t buy it. Nobody forces you to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Washington, that\u2019s about as blunt a dismissal as diplomacy gets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Style: Foreign Policy As Reality TV<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Asked about Trump\u2019s hardball tactics, EAM Jaishankar observed that no previous US President has conducted foreign policy so publicly. \u201cThat itself is a departure that\u2019s not limited to India\u2026 President Trump\u2019s way of dealing with the world, even dealing with his own country, is a very major departure from the traditional orthodox manner of doing so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read between the lines: Trump runs foreign policy like a Twitter brawl, while India still values closed-door negotiation. For a country like India, that prefers strategic patience over public posturing, the contrast couldn\u2019t be sharper.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commerce Ministry Keeps It \u201cOpen-Minded\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking at the same event, tried to strike a conciliatory note. He said India would approach trade talks with Washington with \u201ca very open mind, a positive outlook and the confidence that the India-US relationship is very consequential.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the friendly face to EAM Jaishankar\u2019s steel spine. Goyal\u2019s optimism keeps the door open. But the substance hasn\u2019t changed: farmers are untouchable, small producers are untouchable, sovereignty is untouchable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Negotiations Without Breakthroughs<\/b><\/h2>\n

A US trade team had been scheduled to visit New Delhi from August 25\u201329. That visit has been called off. For Indian exporters, that cancellation means one thing: don\u2019t expect tariff relief before the August 27 hike.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, Jaishankar stressed that dialogue continues. \u201cWe are two big countries. The lines are not cut. People are talking to each other, and we will see where it goes,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s as close to optimism as it gets in this round. Talks will happen. Concessions? Don\u2019t hold your breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strategic Autonomy: India\u2019s Red Line In Practice<\/b><\/h2>\n

At the heart of EAM Jaishankar\u2019s position is a bigger philosophy: <\/span>strategic autonomy<\/b>. India will not allow itself to be boxed into one camp\u2019s dictates, whether on trade, oil, or foreign policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe issue of decisions which we make in our national interest is our right. And I would say that\u2019s what strategic autonomy is about,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

That doctrine is not new. It runs back to Nehru and the Non-Aligned Movement. But under PM Modi and EAM <\/span>Jaishankar<\/a><\/strong>, it comes with sharper teeth. India will buy oil where it wants, sell goods where it wants, and take flak if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Road Ahead: Collision Or Compromise?<\/b><\/h2>\n

With tariffs doubling in days, the question is whether Washington blinks or New Delhi adjusts. If neither side moves, Indian exporters, especially in textiles, leather, and machinery, will feel the pinch. But New Delhi\u2019s political calculus is clear: better to absorb economic pain than cave on sovereignty.<\/span><\/p>\n

India is betting that Washington needs this partnership too much to let tariffs ruin it. And in the long run, that may be true. India is the world\u2019s fastest-growing large economy, and no US President can afford to ignore a $190 billion trade relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

For now, though, EAM Jaishankar\u2019s message is simple: <\/span>negotiations, yes. Capitulation, never.<\/b><\/p>\n

PNN News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Delhi [India], August 23: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar doesn\u2019t do diplomatic fluff. With Washington tightening the tariff screws, he cut through the noise: yes, India-US trade negotiations are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_rishi_post_view_count":89},"categories":[5],"tags":[677],"class_list":["post-56878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-national","rishi-post"],"rishi__cb_customizer_meta":"","comments_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiredelhi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}