China stands with India as Trump's White House slams it again over Russian ties

Peter Navarro stood outside the White House and made it clear that the Trump administration is moving forward with 50% tariffs on Indian imports.

The trade adviser said he fully expects those tariffs to be implemented at 12:01 a.m. Washington time on August 27. He directly blamed India for its continued oil trade with Russia, saying:

The Trump administration is responding to India’s decision to keep purchasing Russian crude. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has signaled that its oil relationship with Moscow won’t stop, even as Washington tightens trade penalties.

Despite the upcoming tariff hike, India has leaned harder into its historic ties with Russia and started patching things up with China. Navarro called the oil dealings “a refining profit sharing scheme,” and added, “It’s a laundromat for the Kremlin. That’s the reality of that.”

He addressed Modi directly, saying, “Look, Modi is a great leader. But please, please India, like, look at what is, what your role here is in the global economy and good here. It’s like, what you’re doing right now is not creating peace, it’s perpetuating the war.”

India keeps oil flowing while Trump pushes penalties

The tariff increase, already signed off by Trump in an executive order, will be one of the steepest against any trade partner under his new term. India became a major buyer of Russian oil after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

That same year, the Group of Seven nations set a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude, trying to block funding for Putin’s war. Instead, India increased its intake of Russian barrels, protecting a major income stream for the Kremlin. Reports from Kasatkin Consulting show that India now accounts for 37% of Russia’s oil exports.

The tension escalated after Navarro’s comments sent oil prices higher during a rough trading session. On the diplomatic front, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar traveled to Moscow and called out the U.S. for its pressure campaign.

“We are a country where actually the Americans said for the last few years that we should do everything to stabilize the world energy markets, including buying oil from Russia,” Jaishankar said Thursday. He said his government was “perplexed” by the sudden threats from Washington, noting the double standards in play.

Modi’s administration isn’t just managing heat from Washington. India has opened new talks with Beijing as well. While Trump goes after New Delhi, the Chinese government is showing public support.

This week, both countries agreed to start discussions on their disputed border, something they haven’t touched since tensions exploded in 2020. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Delhi in person, wrapping up a two-day trip, his first to the country in three years.

China defends India and hits back at U.S. tariffs

China didn’t waste any time backing India against Trump’s latest moves. On Thursday, Xu Feihong, China’s ambassador to India, delivered remarks at a panel event in New Delhi and said, “The United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India and it has even threatened for more. China firmly opposes this.”

Xu said his country would stand beside its neighbor to uphold the multilateral trading system and support the World Trade Organization’s authority. He later posted on X, writing, “China firmly stands with India to uphold the multilateral trading system and safeguard international fairness and justice.”

Xu used the panel appearance to criticize the White House directly, saying the U.S. uses tariffs as “a bargaining chip to demand exorbitant prices from various countries” even though it enjoys the benefits of free trade itself. He also warned against silence, saying, “In the face of such acts, silence or compromise only emboldens the bully.”

Xu noted that countries in the Global South are “highly concerned” about what India and China can do together. He said the rest of the developing world is watching how both nations will “take the lead to help developing countries overcome difficulties.”

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