U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with the new U.S. Ambassador to India. Washington AFP=Yonhap News. 

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on the 10th (local time) that a trade agreement with India is imminent and hinted at a reduction in the 50% tariff imposed on India.

Speaking to reporters at the White House during the inauguration ceremony for Sergio Gore, the new U.S. Ambassador to India, President Trump said, "We are going to have an agreement with India, and it will be a very different agreement than before."

He added, "They (India) don't like me now, but they will like us again. We are getting a fair agreement," and "We are very close to finalizing an agreement that is beneficial to everyone."

As of late August, President Trump had imposed a total of 50% tariff on India, consisting of a 25% reciprocal tariff and an additional 25% penalty tariff for importing Russian crude oil.

Following the agreement to suspend the trade war with China for one year, reached during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, late last month, President Trump is now expected to resolve trade disputes with India, another major economic and population power.

Regarding the possibility of lowering tariffs imposed on India, President Trump stated, "They have stopped importing Russian crude oil. The import volume has significantly decreased," and "We will lower the tariffs (on India) at some point."

President Trump also mentioned that Ambassador Gore has already built a friendly relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "As Ambassador, Sergio will work to strengthen ties between the two countries, promote investment in key U.S. industries and technologies, increase U.S. energy exports, and expand security cooperation."

There have been significant criticisms from within the U.S. that President Trump's imposition of high tariffs on India, which could play a crucial role in counterbalancing China, was strategically unsound.

In a situation where the U.S. and China agreed to a "trade truce" at their summit late last month, temporarily easing their intense one-on-one confrontation, President Trump appears to be making moves to fundamentally improve relations with India, which could partially substitute for China's role in U.S. strategic calculations.

Ambassador Gore is considered a close associate of President Trump. Before being appointed as Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, he served as Director of Personnel at the White House.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1986 during the Soviet era, Ambassador Gore began working for President Trump's presidential campaign in 2020. He co-founded a publishing company with Donald Trump Jr., President Trump's eldest son, to publish President Trump's books, and also served as a senior advisor for Trump's Super PAC, MAGA Inc.

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