Asia| Tariff king v tariff man
India sees opportunity, as well as risk, in Trump’s trade war
Narendra Modi hopes to negotiate a trade deal with America that will unleash growth
A man works inside a steel warehouse in Mumbai
Photograph: Reuters
However one views Donald Trump’s trade policy, he is not far wrong in calling India a “tariff king”. Jawaharlal Nehru, its first prime minister, saw foreign trade as a path to colonisation and admired the Soviet Union’s drive for self-reliance. His protectionist dirigisme endured until the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 triggered market-opening reforms in India. Even then, its tariffs remained high by global standards. And in the past decade they have climbed again.