China ‘firmly stands’ with India on Trump tariffs, envoy says
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Chinese envoy Xu Feihong said China will firmly stand with India to uphold the multilateral trading system.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI – A Chinese official expressed solidarity with India against US tariffs on Indian exports, the latest sign of warming ties between the two Asian rivals.
“The United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on India and it has even threatened for more. China firmly opposes this,” China’s Ambassador to India, Mr Xu Feihong, said on Aug 22.
“China will firmly stand with India to uphold the multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation at its core.”
Mr Xu’s comments come as Beijing and New Delhi take steps to recalibrate their ties against the backdrop of their strained relations with the Trump administration.
The two neighbours this week agreed to explore demarcating their disputed border as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India
Mr Xu was speaking at a panel event in New Delhi about the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, taking place later in August in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping then, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.
Mr Xu criticised Washington for using tariffs as “a bargaining chip to demand exorbitant prices from various countries” despite benefiting from free trade.
“In the face of such acts, silence or compromise only emboldens the bully,” he said in his address to the event.
He added that countries of the Global South were “highly concerned” about how the two Asian nations could work together and “take the lead to help developing countries overcome difficulties”.
Mr Xu reiterated his remarks in a post on X, where he expressed his appreciation to people “who have long cared for and supported China-India relations”. BLOOMBERG
