Trump gets tariff weapon against China and India

Washington: President Donald Trump can now impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing oil from Russia, putting China and India squarely in the crosshairs.

The US House on Wednesday passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill, paving the way for Trump to tariff major purchasers of Russian energy.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the package by 262-159, giving a final congressional green light to the most substantial US legislative effort against Moscow since Trump returned to office. Trump has said he will sign the measure, which sailed through the Senate in an 86-11 vote last month.

The legislation targets Russia's energy and defense sectors, President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, as well as Moscow's so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions.

The move comes close on the heels of the BRICS Summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders from the Global South, including China and India, condemned unilateral economic sanctions and secondary sanctions, without naming the US.

But its sweeping tariff powers produced an unusual split among Democrats, who overwhelmingly support Ukraine but have resisted handing Trump greater authority over trade. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the bill "deeply flawed." Dozens of Democrats nevertheless backed the measure, offsetting opposition from a handful of Republicans who objected to sanctions on free-market or non-interventionist grounds.

Supporters argue that tougher economic pressure is needed, with Russia's full-scale invasion grinding through its fifth year and no peace settlement in sight.

China and India would be most exposed, as both have leaned heavily into discounted Russian crude since the Ukraine war broke out in 2022, while the Iran war has further squeezed energy supplies. Neither China nor India were likely to cut back on Russian oil, though tariffs will give Washington leverage in dealing with New Delhi and Beijing, experts said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India