US President Donald Trump to announce reciprocal tariffs ahead of PM Modi visit

1. US President Donald Trump to announce reciprocal tariffs ahead of PM Modi visit

US President Donald Trump to announce reciprocal tariffs ahead of PM Modi visit ByHT News Desk Feb 13, 2025 03:02 AM IST Share Via Copy Link Trump has already levied a 10% duty on Chinese imports and has threatened to introduce tariffs against Canada and Mexico March 1 onwards.

US President Donald Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs before Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's visit on Thursday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, as quoted by Associated Press.

US President Donald Trump to announce reciprocal tariffs ahead of PM Modi visit(AP)

Trump had earlier stated that he plans to sign an executive order that would impose US tariffs on other countries that would match the tax rates charged by the nations.

Also Read: Trump-Modi summit: When the elder statesman meets the political disruptor

Earlier this week, President Trump said, “It’s time to be reciprocal. You’ll be hearing that word a lot. Reciprocal. If they charge us, we charge them.”

Also Read: Donald Trump says US to impose 25% tariff on all steel, aluminium imports

President Trump, after taking office had mentioned his intentions to levy tariffs on countries such as India and Brazil though he has not yet mentioned exact details on the duties.

Prime minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the US to engage in bilateral talks centring around trade between the two countries as well as Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

India is also preparing additional tariff cuts in order to encourage more American exports to India and avoid a potential trade war with the US, reported news agency Reuters citing unnamed government officials.

Also Read: India planning tariff cuts ahead of PM Modi-Trump meet: Report

On Monday, Donald Trump also ended previous exemptions to tariffs on steel and aluminium, and raised the tariff rates on aluminium. “Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25 per cent tariff,” Trump told reporters and added that the same applied to aluminium imports.

The US President said that he would also impose additional taxes on imported autos, computer chips and pharmaceutical drugs.

After taking office on January 20, Donald Trump levied a 10 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports due to China's involvement in the global fentanyl supply network.

Trump had also announced a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, which were suspended for 30 days and will likely be enforced from March 1.

Canada and Mexico in response stated that they would levy counter-tariffs if Trump went through with his taxation plans on foreign products.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen also said, “Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered — they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures.”