'Give the bully an inch, he'll take a mile': Chinese Ambassador attacks Trump over additional 25% tariff on India

Xu Feihong, the Chinese Ambassador to Delhi, on Thursday hit out at US President Donald Trump a day after the latter announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on India due to its purchase of Russian oil, raising the total duty to 50 per cent.

Calling Trump a 'bully', Feihong wrote: "Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile." He also shared an excerpt from the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's telephonic conversation with the Brazilian president's chief advisor.

Yi reportedly told the Brazilian president's chief advisor that using tariffs as a means to suppress other countries is in violation of the UN charter and undermines the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 

Notably, India is the second BRICS nation after Brazil to face a 50 per cent tariff from the US. Meanwhile, Secretary for Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Dammu Ravi called the US tariff on Indian imports a 'unilateral decision' and added that there is no logic or reason in the way in which the tariff was announced. 

“Perhaps, this is a phase we have to overcome.  The negotiations are still going on. So, we are confident that solutions will be found in the course of time in looking at mutually beneficial partnerships,” Ravi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

Commenting on the India-US trade deal, he said that the commerce ministry is working on it and hopes to find a solution soon. He added that the high tariff would not have any negative impact on the Indian industry, adding that it will not pull back the Indian industry. 

Tariffs announced by Trump against India are likely to impact sectors such as textiles, jewellery, and auto ancillaries heavily. The tariff will be effective for goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), 21 days after the date of this order.