INDIA/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has decided to strip India of a special status that exempts billions of dollars worth of Indian exports from American tariffs, raising new trade tensions with the world’s second most populous country. The Office of the United States Trade Representative said on Monday [3-4-19] night that India and Turkey would no longer be eligible for preferential market access to the United States. While the decision to terminate Turkey’s status stemmed from that country’s economic development, the move against India was retaliatory. It came after a year of failed efforts by the Trump administration to compel India to lower its trade barriers, including the tariffs it charges on American goods. Mr. Trump’s decision to confront India over its trade practices ratchets up trade tensions at a moment when the administration has been trying to ease frictions with China, which have rattled global financial markets and unsettled businesses.”
–Alan Rappeport, “Trump to Strip India of Special Tariff Status, Escalating Trade Tensions,” The New York Times online, March 5, 2019