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Peter Navarro said India is engaging in trade talks with the US, citing PM Modi’s response to Donald Trump. However, he added that India maintains among the ‘highest tariffs’.
A file photo of PM Modi with Donald Trump (L)/Peter Navarro (R) (Source: AP)
Peter Navarro has asserted that India was coming to the negotiating table with the United States. His remark, during an interview with CNBC, came ahead of the India-US trade talks on Tuesday, and days after US President Donald Trump had announced that India and the US are continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers.
Referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to Donald Trump’s post, Navarro said, “India is coming to the table. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a very conciliatory, nice, constructive tweet, and President Trump responded to that. We’ll see how this works.”
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Speaking during the interview, Navarro also said that the two countries are still negotiating on the trade issue, and are working on ‘trade barriers’.
Navarro, who has in the past called India “the Maharaja of tariffs”, reiterated that India has the “highest tariffs” of any major country.
“But as a practical matter, we know that on the trade side, they have the highest tariffs of any major country. They have very high non-tariff barriers. We had to deal with that, like we’re dealing with every other country that does that,” he said.
Last week, Trump, in a post on social media, said he was looking forward to speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming weeks.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” Trump had mentioned.
In response, PM Modi called the United States a “close friend” and a “natural partner” of India, adding that work was in progress to conclude the trade discussions between the two countries at the earliest.
However, Navarro, in a series of posts on X, hit out at India.
“The US doesn’t need unfair trade with India. But India desperately needs access to US markets and schools and intends to continue taking US jobs,” he said.
For the trade talks today, the US trade representative for South Asia, Brendan Lynch, will be in New Delhi, Indian chief negotiator Rajesh Agarwal said.
The talks will be held as part of bilateral trade negotiations, Agarwal added, without going into more detail.
Trump last month slapped a punitive 25 per cent levy on India from August 27, doubling overall tariffs to 50 per cent, as part of Washington’s efforts to step up pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
India described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
September 16, 2025, 08:04 IST
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