Trump Says India Offered to Cut Tariffs on U.S. Goods to Zero

President Trump said that India has offered to reduce tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, though he criticised the timing of the offer. While describing the U.S.-India trade relationship as unbalanced, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform:

“They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.”

His comments came as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a summit in China alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting, held under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), brought together more than 20 leaders from non-Western countries and served as a platform to push back against Western economic pressures.
The Indian Embassy in Washington has not yet responded to Trump’s statement. Questions around the future of U.S.-India trade relations have grown following the imposition of tariffs as high as 50% on Indian exports to the U.S.
At the summit, Xi advanced his vision for a restructured global security and economic order centered on the “Global South,” directly challenging U.S. influence. In a show of unity, Modi and Putin were seen holding hands and walking together toward Xi before the summit began. The three leaders stood side by side, laughing, accompanied by interpreters.
Though ties between Washington and New Delhi have strengthened in recent years, partly due to shared concerns over China’s geopolitical rise, Trump previously threatened tariffs after India declined to halt purchases of Russian oil during the Ukraine conflict.
This summit also marked Modi’s first visit to China in seven years. In a meeting with Xi, the two leaders agreed that their nations are “development partners, not rivals,” and discussed ways to improve trade relations.
U.S. officials, including the State Department and the White House, have not yet issued statements regarding the summit in China.