Washington/New Delhi: At a time when US president Donald Trump seems to be mellowing on the issue of tariffs, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has launched a fresh tirade against India, saying that it “must come around” at some point on trade negotiations with the US or else it “won’t end well” for Delhi.
In an interview with the ‘Real America’s Voice’ show, Navarro said the Indian government takes offence to him and described India as the ‘Maharajah’ of tariffs.
“But it’s absolutely true. They have the highest tariffs in any major country in the world against the United States. We got to deal with that,” he said
According to him, India never bought oil from Moscow before Russia invaded Ukraine, “except for like little tiny drops of it”.
“And then they go into this mode of profiteering with Russian refiners coming on to Indian soil and profiteering, and American taxpayers end up having to send more money for the conflict,” Navarro said.
He listed the “great” trade deals that the US has inked with the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia, saying “all these countries are working very closely with us” because they realise that they’ve been taking too much advantage of the US and also because they need American markets.
“I think India must come around at some point. And if it doesn’t, it’s laying down with Russia and China, and that won’t end well for India,” he warned.
On additional sanctions on China, which is the largest purchaser of Russian oil, Navarro said, “We’re walking a fine line here with all of this. I think that what’s got to happen is India’s got to stop buying Russian oil. That’s going to be good for the whole peace; the road to peace partly runs through New Delhi.
“Europe certainly has to stop buying Russian oil… with China, we got over 50% tariffs on them, and we’re doing the best we can in terms of negotiating to protect the American people without hurting the American people.”
And that’s the Kabuki and the art of diplomacy that we’ve got going on. And you just got to trust in Trump,” he added.
Navarro also said that the BRICS alliance will not last since the member nations “all hate each other”, and likened their trade practices to “vampires” exploiting the United States.
“I don’t see how the BRICS alliance stays together since historically they all hate each other and kill each other,” Mr. Navarro said.
“The “bottom line” is that none of the countries in the grouping can “survive if they don’t sell to the United States. And when they sell to the United States, their exports, they’re like vampires sucking our blood dry with their unfair trade practices,” he added.
Navarro, who has been ranting against India over its import of Russian oil and high tariffs, said the country has been at war with China for decades.
In a sarcastic remark, he said, “And I just remembered, yeah, it was China that gave Pakistan a nuclear bomb. You got ships flying around the Indian Ocean now with Chinese flags. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, see how you kind of work that out.” He also claimed that Russia is in “bed with China
