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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Cong chief asks PM for special Parliament session to discuss Pahalgam attack
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve.
Several opposition MPs have made a similar demand to the government in the wake of the dastardly attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed last week, leaving the nation grief-stricken and outraged.
India has cited "cross-border linkages" to the horrific incident and promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike.
In a letter to the prime minister, Kharge said, "At this moment, when unity and solidarity is essential, the opposition believes that it is important to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament at the earliest.
"This will be a powerful demonstration of our collective resolve and willpower to deal with the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on innocent citizens on April 22. It is our fond hope that the session will be accordingly convened," the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha added.
The Congress president, however, had been unrelenting in his attack on PM Modi. At a party rally in Rajasthan on Monday, he lashed out at the prime minister for skipping the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam attack and accused the BJP of creating divisions in the country.
Kharge had said that in this hour of crisis, everyone wants to fight together, "but the BJP wants to spread venom and divide people".
Party general secretary, in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh shared the letter on X and said, "Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has written to the PM last night, requesting that a special session of both Houses of Parliament be convened at the earliest to demonstrate a collective will to deal with the situation arising out of the brutal terror attacks in Pahalgam on April 22."
