New Delhi: The Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong Thursday targeted the Trump administration for imposition of 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, labelling Washington D.C as a ‘bully’.
“The US has long benefitted from free trade. Now it is using tariffs as a bargaining chip on countries including India … China is against such use of tariffs. Silence and compromise will only embolden the bully. China stands with India,” the Chinese envoy said while speaking at the SCO Summit 2025, hosted by the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) in New Delhi.
The comments by the Chinese ambassador come as ties between India and the US have hit a rough patch. US President Donald J. Trump followed the announcement of a 25 percent baseline tariff on Indian goods with a threat to impose a punitive secondary tariff of 25 percent citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil and defence systems.
Trump is also frustrated over stalled negotiations for a bilateral trade deal between India and the US. The negotiations have stalled due to India’s red lines—allowing greater market access for American agricultural and dairy products.
Even as ties with the US remain strained, New Delhi and Beijing have moved forward with measures aimed at reducing tensions between them.
Ties had cratered in 2020 following the military clashes in eastern Ladakh. It remained tense until Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on 21 October, 2024, announced that both militaries had reached an agreement to disengage at friction points along the LAC.
That agreement paved the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the BRICS leaders summit in the Russian city of Kazan on 23 October, 2024.
India and China have since instituted a number of confidence-building measures including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals.
Ambassador Xu Thursday welcomed the issuance of visas for Chinese nationals, hoping that it would continue to do so un-impeded, while also calling on India to do more to allow the exchange of academics and expansion of people-to-people ties between the two countries.
The Chinese Ambassador also pushed for greater cooperation between India and China to “stabilise” the region in an increasingly “unstable” international environment. “The good relations between our two countries is not targeting any third country. The improvement and development between our two countries are beneficial to the both of us,” said Xu.
Adding, “Because we are important emerging economies—the good relationship between the two countries will be important for the security of this region. China and India should play a leading role under the current international forums.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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