Despite tariff row US-India partnership reaching new heights, says Embassy

The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50% including a 25% additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

New Delhi: The India-US partnership continues to reach new heights, the US embassy said in a surprise social media post on Monday, amid the ties between the two countries reeling under possibly the worst phase in two decades over the Trump administration's policies on trade and tariff.

The post comes on a day there was visible bonhomie among Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

A photo of PM Modi engaging in a warm exchange with Xi and Putin even went viral on social media.

"The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights -- a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, we're spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward," the US embassy said in the post.

"From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it's the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey. Follow the hashtag and be a part of #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople," it said.

With the post, the embassy also attached a photo of Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with a message from him.

"The enduring friendship between our two peoples is the bedrock of our cooperation and propels us forward as we realise the tremendous potential of our economic relationship," Rubio said.

The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent including a 25 per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

The US embassy's post is learnt to be part of efforts to highlight people-to-people ties between the two countries.