No longer acceptable: Donald Trump hits back at India over tariffs on US products

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that India has long had a "field day" by putting tariffs on American products. Taking to Twitter, the President further said that it is "no longer acceptable". "India has long had a field day putting Tariffs on American products. No longer acceptable!" tweeted Trump.

In June, India announced a hike in customs duties on as many as 28 US products, including almond, apple, pulses and walnut, following Washington's withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi.

India has long had a field day putting Tariffs on American products. No longer acceptable!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2019

Trump had earlier too asked India to withdraw retaliatory tariffs calling the duties "unacceptable". "I look forward to speaking with Prime Minister Modi about the fact that India, for years having put very high tariffs against the United States, just recently increased the tariffs even further," Trump had said on Twitter.

"This is unacceptable and the tariffs must be withdrawn!" said Trump, ahead of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in Japan.

Reacting to Trump, India told news agency Reuters that its tariffs are not that high compared to other developing countries. India`s tariffs are in line with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, Reuters reported quoting government sources, adding that US tariffs on some items were much higher than that of India. 

Trump scrapped trade privileges for India under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), under which New Delhi was the biggest beneficiary that allowed duty-free exports of up to 5.6 billion dollars.

India initially issued an order in June 2018 to raise import taxes as high as 120 per cent on a slew of US items, incensed by Washington`s refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminium tariffs. But New Delhi repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about 142.1 billion dollars in 2018.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in New Delhi, sought to reduce the trade tension with India, promising a renewed focus on negotiating better ties.