S Jaishankar addressing UNGA (PTI)
NEW DELHI: In a veiled but pointed critique of both the United States and China, external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday flagged growing trade protectionism, tariff unpredictability, and coercive supply chain practices by major global powers.Addressing the 80th session of the united nations general assembly (UNGA), he cautioned that such actions were eroding trust in the international system and disproportionately hurting the Global South.While not naming countries directly, Jaishankar’s remarks appeared to take aim at recent moves by Washington and Beijing, calling out what he described as “trade hypocrisy” and selective responses to global crises.“We now see tariff volatility and uncertain market access as a result. De-risking is a growing compulsion, whether from limited sources of supply, or over dependence on a particular market,” he said, stressing that Bharat “will always maintain its freedom of choice.”The statement comes as US President Donald Trump earlier this week announced a 100 per cent import tariff on branded and patented pharmaceutical products, unless companies relocate manufacturing to the US. “I’m putting a 100 per cent import tax on pharmaceutical drugs unless the companies are building plants right here in the United States,” Trump declared on his social media platform, Truth Social.India has also been facing steep tariffs from the US over its continued imports of Russian oil, with Trump already imposing a 50 per cent duty on Indian exports. Talks between Indian and American trade negotiators in New York earlier this week failed to resolve the deadlock. Indian officials reiterated the country’s need for affordable energy, noting past disruptions due to US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela.Without directly naming China, Jaishankar highlighted risks arising from overconcentration of critical mineral supply chains. “Heightened technology control” and a “grip on supply chains and critical minerals” are compounding existing economic challenges, he noted.He also criticised the conduct of wealthier nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Better-off societies insulated themselves by having the first call, as the resource-pressed ones scrambled to survive, only to hear sanctimonious lectures thereafter,” he said.Reaffirming India’s role on the global stage, Jaishankar said, “As the most populous nation, as a civilisational state, as a rapidly growing major economy, we are confident about who we are, and what we will be. Bharat will always maintain its freedom of choice. And will always be a voice of the Global South.”His address came a day after a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA, where member states issued a joint statement warning against the proliferation of trade-restrictive measures. They expressed concern that such practices could fragment global trade and further marginalise developing nations.The US has repeatedly accused BRICS of promoting anti-American policies, particularly in advocating trade in local currencies. Trump has threatened punitive tariffs of up to 100 per cent on member countries including China, Brazil, and South Africa.In his closing message, Jaishankar urged the global south to resist pressures from protectionist trends and stand for equitable and sustainable multilateralism.
