India unlikely to suffer much even if US imposes higher tariffs: Kirti Vardhan Singh

Amid concerns over US’ tariff on Indian exports, Union Minister of State (Mos) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has said India is unlikely to suffer much even if the US imposes higher tariffs, as the strength of the Indian economy has now been realised globally, including by US President Donald Trump. He said that Trump, who had earlier spoken about imposing heavy tariffs on India, has now understood that such measures would not cause significant damage to the country because of its robust economy.

Regarding the perceived softening of Trump's tone towards India, the minister said that currently the entire African continent, the European Union and several other countries across the world are comfortable engaging in imports and exports with India. He said ‘Due to its vast population, India is a large market. No country, especially the US, should think that India's economy depends only on a few nations’.

Singh said that the world has begun to acknowledge the India’s growing power as the country is strong both economically and militarily. He noted that this realisation is gradually becoming clear to everyone. He also said that international agreements are not finalised in a single day and require multiple rounds of discussions at various levels.