Trump to consider possible import duties on automobiles
Washington, May 24: US President Donald Trump ordered the Commerce Department to start a study into determining the need to impose import duties on autos and parts.
"I instructed Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on America's national security," Efe news reported quoting Trump as saying in a statement on Wednesday, after meeting Ross to discuss the current state of the US car industry.
The largest exporter of cars to the US is Mexico, followed by Canada, Japan, Germany, and South Korea, according to data from the Department of Commerce.
Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, an agreement that he had threatened to break during the election campaign.
Also during the campaign, Trump made the preservation of the auto industry one of the pillars of his protectionist economic proposals, a promise that allowed him to win in Michigan, where most of the auto industry is concentrated.
Since Trump came to power, the Commerce Department has initiated more than 100 investigations over unfair competition, many of which have ended in the imposition of tariffs.
One such investigation resulted in the Trump administration imposing a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium and a 25 per cent tariff on steel, although he exempted some allies like Argentina, Brazil, Australia and South Korea.
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Senior Trump administration official begins 5-day visit to India
New Delhi (PTI): Allison Hooker, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, is on a five-day visit to India from Sunday to advance bilateral strategic and economic ties.
Hooker's trip to New Delhi and Bengaluru comes amid increasing strain in ties between the two countries after Washington slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for India's procurement of Russian crude oil.
The US embassy said Under Secretary Hooker's visit marks another step forward in advancing President Donald Trump's priorities for a strong US-India partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Hooker's December 7-11 visit is aimed at advancing the US-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties including increasing American exports, and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and space exploration, it said.
"While in New Delhi, Under Secretary Hooker will meet with senior Indian officials to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including through the foreign office consultations with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri," the embassy said.
In Bengaluru, Hooker will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation and meet leaders from India's dynamic space, energy, and technology sectors to promote innovation in US-India research partnerships and to explore opportunities for expanded cooperation, it added.
The visit by the official also comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an over 27-hour trip to New Delhi and held summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
