China urges India to join forces against U.S. tariffs amid growing trade tensions
New Delhi: The Chinese Embassy in India has called for solidarity between China and India in the face of escalating trade tensions triggered by the United States’ recent tariff hike.
On 8 April 2025, Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, highlighted the mutual benefits of China-India trade ties and encouraged both nations to work together to address the challenges posed by the U.S. administration’s tariff policy.
On 2 April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, with higher rates for selected countries. As a result, China now faces a cumulative tariff of 54% on its exports to the U.S., while India is subject to a 26% tariff. The move, intended to address trade imbalances, has caused ripples across the global economy.
In response, China has announced a 34% tariff on all U.S. goods, effective from 10 April 2025. President Trump has warned of an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports unless Beijing retracts its retaliatory measures.
The embassy’s appeal for unity comes as Beijing seeks to build alliances amid increasing trade friction with Washington. However, experts remain sceptical about the possibility of deeper China-India cooperation due to longstanding political and strategic differences between the two neighbours.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
