India Also Hit As Trump Shoots In All Directions Over Trade Tariffs At G7

New Delhi: Donald Trump, in a tirade against countries he said are "robbing" the US, targeted India once again on import tariffs, as he left the G-7 summit in Canada on bitter terms. "This isn't just G7. I mean, we have India, where some of the tariffs are 100 per cent. A hundred per cent. And we charge nothing. We can't do that," Mr Trump said as he threatened to stop doing trade with countries "who are being unfair" to the US.

"We're like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing," said the US President at a press conference before making an early exit from the two-day summit in Quebec.

"Can't do that. We are talking to many countries, we are talking to all countries. And it's going to stop. Or we'll stop trading with them. And that's a very profitable answer..." he added.

Mr Trump has angered America's closest allies by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada, the European Union and Mexico.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump had criticised India over import duty on the iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles and had threatened to increase the import tariff on "thousands and thousands" of Indian motorcycles to the US.
 Mr Trump had said that the decision of the Indian government to reduce the tariff from 75 per cent to 50 per cent was not enough and asked that it should be reciprocal, as the US imposes "zero tax" on the import of motorcycles.

The US President had also referred to a conversation he had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "beautiful man". "And a great gentleman called me from India and he said, we have just reduced the tariff on motorcycles, reduced it down to 50 per cent from 75, and even 100 per cent," he said.

"I wasn't sure -- he said it so beautifully. He's a beautiful man. And he said, 'I just want to inform you that we have reduced it to 75, but we have further reduced it to 50'. And I said, huh. What do I say? Am I supposed to be thrilled? And that's not good for you people, especially as governors. It's just not right. And we have many deals like that," the US President commented.

Pitching for a "reciprocal tax" on countries that he said "abuse" their trade relationships with the US, he put out a sharp message: "So I say we should have reciprocal taxes for a case like that. I'm not blaming India. I think it's great that they can get away with it. I don't know why people allowed them to get away with it. But there's an example that's very unfair. And I think we should have a reciprocal tax."