Trump Warns Of New Tariff Letters As India-US Trade Talks Remain In Limbo

<p>As anticipation builds over an interim trade deal between India and the United States, President Donald Trump has signalled a fresh salvo in his aggressive trade policy. Speaking on Thursday, Trump revealed that Washington would begin dispatching letters to nations worldwide, outlining reciprocal tariff rates starting as early as Friday.</p>
<p>&ldquo;My inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariffs countries are going to pay. We have more than 170 countries. And how many deals can you make?&rdquo; Trump said, acknowledging the complexity of negotiating numerous bilateral agreements. &ldquo;You can make good deals, but they&rsquo;re very much more complicated,&rdquo; reported The Indian Express.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Instead, the President said he favours a more straightforward approach: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather just do a simple deal where you can maintain it and control it. You&rsquo;re going to pay a 20 per cent or 30 per cent tariff, and we&rsquo;re going to be sending some letters out, starting probably tomorrow, maybe 10 a day, to various countries, saying what they&rsquo;re going to pay to do business with the US.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Trump has touted several trade deals during his term, including agreements with Vietnam and China. Late last month, he hinted that the US and India &ldquo;may&rdquo; finalise an agreement that would, in his words, &ldquo;open up India.&rdquo; However, no announcement has yet materialised, leaving the future of bilateral trade relations uncertain.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Washington has already imposed steep tariffs on numerous Asian nations: 36 per cent on Thailand, 32 per cent on Indonesia, and 24 per cent on Japan, after negotiations with Tokyo reportedly hit a stumbling block. South Korea has faced reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent, Malaysia 24 per cent, and the European Union 20 per cent.</p>
<p>Perhaps most notably, Taiwan &mdash; a crucial hub for semiconductor manufacturing &mdash; has been hit with 32 per cent tariffs, raising questions about potential ripple effects on global tech supply chains.</p>
<p>As Trump&rsquo;s trade strategy pivots toward unilateral tariff declarations, all eyes remain on whether Washington and New Delhi can bridge their differences and avoid becoming the next targets of higher duties.&nbsp;</p>