'No Boeing backlash': Amitabh Kant says India must stay cool, negotiate smartly at BT India@100 Summit

India should not retaliate hastily—whether by cancelling Boeing orders or imposing digital taxes—over the U.S. decision to slap a 50% tariff on Indian goods, said former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant at the BT India@100 Summit. He urged a calm, strategic response rooted in diplomacy, not reaction.

“There’s talk of retaliation—whether through plane orders or digital taxes—but India should stay cool, calm, and collected,” Kant said. “We have 20 days before these tariffs kick in. This is the time to negotiate rationally, not react emotionally.”

Responding to suggestions that India should hit back by freezing commercial deals like Boeing aircraft purchases, Kant made it clear that strategic autonomy must remain paramount. “India never bent during the Cold War. We should never yield to pressure now. But we should negotiate sensibly, as we’re doing,” he said.

Kant called out the inconsistency in U.S. policy, arguing that India's Russian oil imports are being unfairly targeted. “Turkey buys more oil from Russia than India. China buys more. Last year, the EU bought €297 billion worth of Russian gas. Even the U.S. trades in critical minerals with Russia,” he said. “So imposing an additional 25% duty on India doesn’t make sense. It’s part of Trump’s negotiation playbook—and we should simply stand firm.”

He also rejected any characterization of India as a weak or stagnant economy. “India is anything but dead. We’re the fastest-growing large economy, already fourth largest globally, and soon to be third,” he said.