Explained | BRICS reaction to Trump tariffs on India and what the bloc plans to do going forward

Trump's tariff announcements on India have sparked a wide discussion online, especially on how it would strengthen BRICS. Notably, the world sees the member countries coming together to fight the heavy tariffs laid upon imports.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump increased the tariff on Indian goods to 50 per cent, adding an additional 25 per cent, as a "punishment" for the country purchasing oil from Russia.

Trump's tariff announcements on India have sparked a wide range of discussion, especially among the BRICS nations.

What's BRICS?

File photo of Brazil's Lula da Silva, China's Xi Jinping, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Indian PM Narendra Modi during the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg

BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as its original members. It also includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran, making the group totally comprise of 11 countries.

The objectives of BRICS include strengthening economic, political, and social cooperation among its members, as well as increasing the influence of Global South countries in international governance, notes the organisation's official website.

BRICS stands united on Trump's tariff tantrums

The member countries have come together to fight the heavy tariffs laid upon imports.

Several news reports noted that BRICS nations have stood united against US tariff aggression. However, Trump has been critical of India’s role in the BRICS trading bloc and has called the group “anti the United States”, reported The Guardian.

Brazil

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an interview with Reuters, emphasised that Brazil now has the presidency of the BRICS and he wants to discuss with allies why Trump is attacking multilateralism.

He soon spoke to India's prime minister Narendra Modi, alongside his plans to discuss with other BRICS country leaders, to come up with a joint BRICS response to the tariff imposition.

In an hour-long call with PM Modi, the two nations deepened bilateral cooperation in areas ranging from trade and energy to defence and technology.

"Had a good conversation with President Lula... a strong, people-centric partnership between Global South nations benefits everyone," the Indian PM posted on X.

China

Image for representation.

China's Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, backed New Delhi amid the US tariff imposition on India by Trump. Despite frosty relations between the two Asian countries, the Chinese official condemned US President's actions and said it was unacceptable to "use tariffs as a weapon to suppress other countries."

Adding to Feihong, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing recently shared an article from the state-backed publication Global Times, which slams the West's alleged "who will replace whom" between India and China. "At this crucial juncture, the trajectory of China-India relations carries even more reasons to capture global attention...there have been signs of warming in their bilateral relations," the Global Times read.

BRICS planning retaliatory measures?

China, Canada, and the European Union have taken retaliatory measures in response to Trump's imposition or increase of tariffs.

Would India go also go ahead with retaliatory tariffs? Congress MP and former global diplomat Shashi Tharoor suggested that the country must "retaliate" against the tariffs. “We should impose the same rate if nothing changes in the next three weeks,” Tharoor remarked after saying, "We should first negotiate. I don't know Mr Trump is so angry with us."