
The Trump administration formally turns down India’s urge for an unconditional exemption from the US aluminium and steel tariffs, reported Commerce Ministry officials to the BusinessLine.

A meeting, led by Assistant US Trade Representative Mark Linscott, was held early this week in Washington with Commerce Ministry officials, where it was decided that no exemption from higher duties on aluminium and steel would be extended to India. If India wants to resolve the matter, then it should come up with a counter proposal of capping its metals exports .
Though Washington had been indicating it was not in favour of giving exemptions, New Delhi had been pushing for a complete unconditional rollback.
Yesterday, on September 27, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said India was not foreclosing any options until this decision was coming out, but now the country seems to have any option but to consider the capping of exports to resolve the matter with the US.
“The problem is not with the Commerce Ministry, which has shown flexibility in its attempt to resolve the matter. It is the Steel Ministry which has been sticking to its initial demand of an unconditional rollback,” the official said, adding that the ministry may now have to soften its stance.
The trouble started in March, when the Trump administration imposed stiff penal tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium imported from India, China, the EU, Mexico, Russia and Canada, citing security threats.
Then New Delhi, in retaliation to these tariffs, announced heavy duties on 29 items from the US in June, but delayed implementation to August 4 and subsequently to September 18 and November 2, hoping to resolve the issue amicably.
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