US President Donald Trump said India has proposed to remove all prices on goods imported from his country.
The Indian government “offered us an agreement where, essentially, they are ready to literally charge us any price,” said Trump at an event in Doha.
India and the United States are currently in talks to negotiate a trade agreement.
Delhi has not yet commented on the remarks. The BBC has contacted the Indian Commercial Ministry for Comments.
No other details concerning the alleged agreement have yet been made public.
Trump was speaking during an event with business leaders in Doha where he announced a series of transactions between the United States and Qatar, including for Boeing Jets.
The American president made the comments while speaking of Apple plans to make iPhones in India, saying that he had told CEO Tim Cook that he did not want him to build in India because it was “one of the highest pricing nations in the world”.
“They (India) gave us an agreement where, essentially, they have literally invoked any price. I said:” Tim, we treat you really well, we have followed all the plants you have built in China for years. We are not interested in your construction in India. India can take care of themselves “.”
During a call for results earlier this month, Apple said it changed the production of most of China’s iphones in India while Vietnam would be a major production center for articles such as iPads and Apple watches.
President Trump thread prices up to 27% on Indian products in April. Delhi rushes to negotiate a trade agreement during the 90 -day break on Trump’s higher rates, which ends on July 9.
This week, the United States and China have agreed to reduce taxes on imports on goods negotiated between the two countries – the American prices on Chinese imports will fall to 30% of 145%, while Chinese prices on certain American imports will fall to 10% of 125%.
The United States was until recently India’s largest trading partner, bilateral trade amounting to $ 190 billion (143 billion pounds Sterling).
Delhi has already reduced prices on Bourbon whiskey, motorcycles and some other American products, but the United States has a trade deficit of $ 45 billion with India, which Trump wants to reduce.
“As Trump has always blamed the high prices of India for the trade deficit, India could offer 90% of American exports without a price from the first day, using a” zero to zero “approach- by reducing the rates on all goods, except cars and agriculture. But the agreement must ensure strict reciprocity, with the two parties eliminating the development of Delhi.
Trump and Modi set a goal at more than double exchange at $ 500 billion, but Delhi will probably not offer concessions in sectors such as agriculture where there are deeper political sensitivities involved.
India has recently shown more opening to trade agreements after years of skepticism.
Last week, he signed a commercial pact with the United Kingdom which will considerably reduce tasks in many protected sectors such as whiskey and cars.
India has also signed a 100 billion dollars free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (ARE) last year – a group of four European countries which are not members of the European Union – after almost 16 years of negotiations.
The EU and India are also pushing to conclude a free trade agreement this year.
Follow BBC News India on Instagram,, YouTube, X And Facebook.
