No Rationale Behind Penalty Levy: Jaishankar

Ambassador Xu Feihong says silence only emboldens the 'US bully'

- JAYANTH JACOB @New Delhi

In a striking show of solidarity, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong on Thursday condemned the United States' recent tariff hike on Indian goods, calling it "bullying" and pledging that China "will firmly stand with India" against what he described as unfair trade practices. Speaking in New Delhi, Xu said Beijing "fully opposes" the US move, noting that tariffs on Indian goods could soar to 50% if Washington follows through on its 25% penalty for importing Russian oil and further escalation could still be on the table.

"...the US has long benefited greatly from free trade but now uses tariffs as bargain chips to demand exorbitant prices from various countries. The US imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India, and has even threatened for more. China firmly opposes it. In the face of such acts, silence only emboldens the bully. China will firmly stand with India to uphold the multilateral trading system with the world trade," he said.