Watch| Trump Claims India Has Agreed to Significantly Reduce Tariffs

"From an economic, financial and trade standpoint, our nation has been taken advantage of by nearly every country in the world," Trump said from the Oval Office on Friday.

US President Donald Trump said India has agreed to sharply lower its tariffs, repeating his long-held assertion that the nation charges high duties that inhibit American exports.

"From an economic, financial and trade standpoint, our nation has been taken advantage of by nearly every country in the world," Trump said from the Oval Office on Friday.

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"Canada, Mexico, and then you go down the list—India charges us huge tariffs. It's almost impossible to sell anything there. It's almost restrictive—actually, it is restrictive. Our business presence within India is minimal," he said.
 

Trump added that India is now ready to reduce its tariffs as his administration has exposed these trade practices. "They've agreed to lower their tariffs way down now because, finally, someone is revealing what they've been doing. The same goes for China and many other nations, including the EU, which has also been a large trade abuser," he alleged.

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This is the third occasion in a week when Trump has condemned India's tariff policy.

On Thursday, he called India a "very high-tariff nation" and reasserted that his government would introduce reciprocal tariffs on nations which put duties on US products from April 2.

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Earlier this week, in his speech to the joint session of Congress—the opening address of his second term—Trump once again attacked India's tariffs as "very unfair." Speaking from the US Capitol building, he repeated that the new reciprocal tariffs would come into force next month.

Trump has previously called India the "tariff king" and branded it a "big abuser."

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In February, while speaking to the press along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, Trump recognized India's stringent trade practices. "They've been very strong on tariffs," he mentioned.

"I don't necessarily blame them, but it's just a different approach to business. Selling into India is really tough because of their trade barriers and high tariffs," Trump added.

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Read also| Trump Sends Letter to Iran’s Leader on Nuclear Program, Anticipates Quick Response

Read also| Trump Halts Tariff Increases on Select Mexican Imports

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