India’s Zero Tariff Gambit Meets Trump’s ’Too Late’ Rebuke as BRICS Reshapes Global Trade
India just rolled out a zero-tariff offer—a bold play for economic influence that’s straight out of the new BRICS playbook. But former President Trump isn’t impressed. 'It’s too late,' he shot back, signaling that old-guard economic powers aren’t going down without a fight.
Trade Winds Shift
New alliances are forming fast, and traditional heavyweights are feeling the heat. India’s move isn’t just about tariffs—it’s a power flex in a multipolar world where trade blocs matter more than ever.
Diplomatic Chessboard
Trump’s pushback underscores a deeper tension: Western economic dominance is being challenged, and not everyone’s ready to cede ground. The timing? Suspiciously convenient—right as BRICS gains momentum.
Global Ripples
Markets are watching, investors are hedging, and frankly—if Wall Street had a nickel for every time a tariff war upended their quarterly projections, they’d probably just buy a country and set their own rules.
India Zero Tariff Deal Sparks Tensions in US-India Relations Amid BRICS
Trump Rejects India’s Zero Tariff Proposal
India’a zero tariff deal was actually dismissed by Trump on Truth Social. That’s where he revealed India’s offer to cut tariffs to zero. However, Trump characterized the US relationship with India as being “one sided” and rejected the proposal outright.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform:
This rejection of India’s zero tariff deal comes after the US has implemented duties as high as 50% on Indian goods following disputes over Trump India tariffs and India’s refusal to stop Russian oil purchases. The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Trump’s comments.
India BRICS News: Modi’s China Summit Amid Trade Tensions
Right now, Modi is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China along with more than 20 non-Western leaders. The timing of this summit, while India’s zero tariff deal remains rejected, is sending a strong signal about alternative partnerships that are being explored.
The summit is showcasing some solidarity among major powers facing Trump tariffs BRICS countries pressure. Images from the event showed Putin and Modi walking hand-in-hand toward Xi Jinping, which was demonstrating unity against US trade policies.
Beijing has actually used this platform to repair China-India relations, with Modi visiting China for the first time in seven years. The leaders agreed their countries are development partners, not rivals, and they discussed improving trade outside US-dominated systems.
BRICS Alternative Gains Momentum
The BRICS tariffs US disputes have created opportunities for China to promote its vision of a new global order. This clearly prioritizes the “Global South.” This directly challenges American economic dominance as the India zero tariff deal remains unaccepted by Washington.
Trump’s India tariffs reaching 50% have pushed major economies to seek alternatives to Western trade systems. Modi’s participation in the China summit while simultaneously offering this India zero tariff deal shows India’s strategy of maintaining multiple diplomatic options right now.
India-US relations have been strengthened in recent years due to shared China concerns, but the current dispute over Russian oil has created the biggest rift between these democracies. The Trump tariffs BRICS countries are experiencing have united these nations in seeking alternative economic partnerships.
The BRICS tariffs US situation continues evolving as business communities on both sides are calling for resolution to the escalating Trump India tariffs dispute that’s affecting bilateral commerce between the two nations.
