Trump tariffs: USTR highlights India’s ban on US ethanol imports as ‘unfair trade practice’
The U.S. Trade Representative flagged India’s ethanol import ban as an “unfair” trade practice, citing a $414 million export loss. This was discussed during a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who also addressed new U.S. tariffs on Indian goods and the need for a fair, balanced bilateral trade agreement.
The United States Trade Representative highlighted certain trade policies they deemed ‘unfair’, including India’s ban on US ethanol imports. This comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a call to discuss “fair and balanced trade relationship”.
The USTR listed 10 “unfair trade practices” by trading partners faced by American exporters.
“India bans imports of US ethanol for fuel use. Similarly, Thailand restricts imports of fuel ethanol, requiring approval and issuance permits, and hasn’t approved an import permit for fuel ethanol since 2005. Securing market access to India and Thailand for exports of US fuel ethanol would result in at least an additional $414 million in annual export value,” it said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Rubio and Jaishankar discussed US tariffs on India following President Donald Trump’s announcement last week about imposing a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all imports to the US along with higher duties on several countries, causing global market concerns and confusion among US allies. US has imposed 26 per cent tariffs on Indian imports.
The conversation was aimed at progressing towards a fair and balanced trade relationship, as stated by the US State Department. Earlier on Monday, Jaishankar mentioned on social media that he had spoken with Rubio about the early conclusion of a bilateral trade agreement.
They also discussed reaching an early bilateral trade agreement.
For China, the USTR said that over 100,000 Chinese-made American flags are sold every month on just one e-commerce platform alone, which has led to losses of $2 million in sales as well as job losses. It also highlighted Angola’s restriction on import licences for beef, pork and poultry products, Japan’s 10.5 per cent tariff on seafood, EU’s Deforestation-free Supply Chain Regulation (EUDR) and its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), illegal logging and illegal mining in South America, particularly in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, Algeria’s restrictions on generic pharmaceutical products and medical devices, Kenya 50 per cent tariff on imports of US corn, and Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories.
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Source : Business Today
