US’ New Tariffs Hit Dozens of Countries Across the World 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted with defiance to US President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods Wednesday, due to India’s continued oil imports from Russia, vowing to protect the country’s agricultural sector, Africa News reported. 

Modi said Thursday that he would not compromise the interests of Indian farmers, cattle ranchers or fishermen, even if doing so came at a personal cost.  

A major hurdle in the five rounds of inconclusive tariffs negotiations between New Delhi and Washington ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline has been the US push for greater access to India’s expansive agricultural and dairy markets.  

However, India’s refusal to cut Russian oil imports seems to have been the tipping point that led to the additional tariffs.  

Trump recently called India’s economy “dead” and its trade barriers “obnoxious,” accusing the country of buying cheap Russian oil while ignoring the death toll in Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war with Ukraine, Reuters wrote. 

India is now one of the countries worst-hit by US tariffs, along with Brazil. Analysts say the trade war with the US risks disrupting India’s access to its largest export market, the US, and marks the sharpest downturn in US-India ties in decades, putting a strategic bilateral relationship under strain. 

Indian officials have acknowledged mounting pressure to resume trade talks with the US – the tariffs take effect on Aug. 28 – citing a reduction in Russian oil imports as a possible compromise while pointing out that other countries also import oil and other commodities from Russia. 

China is another importer of Russian oil, for example, but Trump’s executive order imposing additional tariffs on importers has not mentioned Beijing so far – but has indicated that similar measures could be coming against China and other countries if a ceasefire with Ukraine is not secured by Friday, according to the BBC. 

Meanwhile, some analysts said Trump seems to have targeted countries with close trade relations with China. 

Modi is preparing for his first state visit to China in more than seven years, hinting at a possible shift in alliances amid weakening ties with Washington. 

Export-reliant economies of Southeast Asia are also among the hardest hit by tariffs, with Laos and Myanmar facing levies of 40 percent, among the highest in the world. 

While Trump has reached initial trade deals with about a dozen of the US’ closest trading partners, such as the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea, new US tariffs on goods from more than 90 countries, such as Switzerland and South Africa, took effect Thursday, the Washington Post added.  

The US has also threatened 100 percent duties on foreign-made semiconductors and computer chips to encourage tech firms to invest more in the US.