India, China no longer 'developing nations', won't let them take 'advantage' from WTO: Trump
Washington, Aug 14: US President Donald Trump has said that India and China are no longer "developing nations" and were "taking advantage" of the tag from the WTO and asserted that he will not let it happen anymore.
Trump, championing his 'America First' policy, has been a vocal critic of India for levying "tremendously high" duties on US products and has described the country as a "tariff king".
The US and China are currently engaged in a bruising trade war after Trump imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing retaliated.
Earlier in July, Trump asked the World Trade Organisation to define how it designates developing-country status, a move apparently aimed at singling out countries like China, Turkey and India which are getting lenient treatment under the global trade rules.
In a memorandum, Trump had empowered the US Trade Representative (USTR) to start taking punitive actions if any advanced economies are inappropriately taking benefits of the WTO loopholes.
Addressing a gathering at Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump said India and China the two economic giants from Asia are no longer developing nations and as such they cannot taken the benefit from the WTO.
However, they are taking the advantage of a developing nation tag from the WTO, putting the US to disadvantage, he said.
"They (India and China) were taking advantage of us for years and years," Trump said.
The Geneva-based WTO is an intergovernmental organisation that regulates international trade between nations.
Under the global trade rules, developing countries claim entitlement to longer timeframe for the imposition of safeguards, generous transition periods, softer tariff cuts, procedural advantages for WTO disputes and the ability to avail themselves of certain export subsidies.
Trump expressed hope that the WTO will treat the US "fairly".
He said the WTO views certain countries like China and India as "they're growing".
"Well, they've grown," he said and warned that the US will not let such countries to take advantage of the WTO.
"We're not letting that happen anymore...Everybody is growing but us," he said.
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Verifying Aadhaar cards of Bangladeshis, action underway: Home Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the state government has begun verification of reports about Bangladeshi nationals obtaining Aadhaar and other identity documents and assured that action would be taken wherever violations are found.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said he has already instructed senior police officials to compile detailed data on the presence of Bangladeshi nationals in Karnataka.
The focus, he said, is on identifying those who have entered the country illegally and secured local identity documents to stay in the state.
"We are verifying it. Already, I have told the Director General of Police and the police commissioners to extract statistics about Bangladeshis staying in Karnataka," Parameshwara said, adding, "They have come here and got different kinds of ID cards. They have got Aadhaar cards and other IDs and are behaving as if they are not even Bangladeshis."
His response came following the arrest of two Bangladeshi nationals in the state, who allegedly possessed Aadhaar cards as well.
The Home Minister said the state government has already deported some Bangladeshi nationals and will continue to do so wherever such cases are established.
"We will verify and take action accordingly. We have deported a few," he said.
Referring to how illegal immigrants may be entering the country, Parameshwara said border management is the responsibility of the Centre.
"It is said that they sneak into India by paying bribes. It's the Centre to look after borders through the Border Security Force (BSF) or the military.
There are porous borders. We don't know how they enter, whether by paying a bribe or stealthily," he said.
He said many illegal immigrants choose Bengaluru as it is considered a peaceful city. "They settle in Bengaluru, considering it peaceful," he noted.
Parameshwara said the police had identified Bangladeshi nationals working in coffee estates in Sakaleshpur and deported them.
"We got to know that some are staying in Sakaleshpur coffee estates. We identified them and deported them. They get menial jobs," he said.
The Home Minister said information has also been received about the presence of Bangladeshi nationals in Anekal and neighbouring regions.
"We got the information that they are at Anekal on the Bengaluru outskirts and neighbouring regions, which we are verifying. Wherever there are Bangladeshis, we will identify them and send them back," he said.
On reports of certain groups or individuals voluntarily checking antecedents to trace Bangladeshi nationals, Parameshwara issued a clear warning.
"There is no scope for taking the law into their hands," he said, adding that citizens can only pass information to the police.
"They can provide information to police about the presence of Bangladeshis, but other than that, they cannot take action on their own. Can they deport them?" he asked.
He cautioned that any attempt to manhandle people would invite strict action.
"If they misbehave and manhandle people, then we will take action against them. We have not given them authority -- be it BJP or anyone else, there is no right to manhandle them," he said.
Parameshwara said the government would make public the figures related to deportations. "We will release data on the number of people deported," he added.
