“Give the Bully an Inch…”: Chinese Diplomat Criticises Trump’s 50% Tariff on India

Chinese Envoy Slams Trump’s Tariffs on India, Warns Against “Bullying” Tactics.

Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, has strongly criticised US President Donald Trump’s recent tariff offensive against countries like India, accusing Washington of economic coercion.

Taking to social media platform X, Xu posted, “Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile,” in a pointed remark aimed at the US. The post was accompanied by an excerpt from recent discussions between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Celso Amorim, Chief Advisor to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The excerpt read: “Using tariffs as a weapon to suppress other countries violates the UN Charter, undermines WTO rules, and is both unpopular and unsustainable.”

Trump’s decision to impose a 25% additional tariff on Indian imports—raising the total duty to 50%—comes amid escalating tensions over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. The US president has also hinted at similar punitive measures against other major buyers of Russian crude, including China and Turkey.

Addressing the media, Trump remarked, “It may happen, I don’t know, I can’t tell you yet. We did it with India and we are probably doing it with a couple of others—one of them could be China.”

India had once been among the frontrunners for a trade agreement with the Trump administration. However, negotiations broke down after five rounds of talks failed to resolve differences on key issues such as agricultural market access and India’s energy ties with Russia.

Xu Feihong’s remarks come as part of broader criticism from China, which has itself been engaged in a tariff standoff with the US. Earlier this year, the two powers exchanged tariff hikes, with the US raising duties to as high as 145%. China responded with a cap at 125%, dismissing Washington’s approach as “economically meaningless” and “a future laughingstock in global economic history.”

Despite the ongoing friction, Trump recently confirmed plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year in an effort to revive trade talks.