India Tries To Please Trump With Big Shopping List

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India Tries To Please Trump With Big Shopping List

India’s shopping list includes nearly 1,000 civilian aircraft and buying more oil.

As the Trump administration wages a relentless trade war, India is trying to please the US and buy peace with a huge shopping list. New Delhi has reportedly offered to order nearly 1,000 civilian aircraft over the next 7-8 years apart from buying more oil from the world’s largest trader.

This was conveyed by commerce minister Suresh Prabhu to his US counterpart during their talks last week.

Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu with his American counterpart Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross

India’s ‘please US’ policy is at variance to that of China which has decided to act tough. Beijing has indicated that it would dump orders for Boeing aircraft manufactured in the US and go in for Airbus that is manufactured in Europe.

If India goes ahead with the plane purchase, Trump will be pleased as this would mean creating more jobs in the US.

India is also looking at buying 12 more naval surveillance aircraft P8i. India is now the largest owner of these aircraft outside the US.

India cannot afford a trade war at this juncture as the nation is fast heading to the Lok Sabha polls. A trade war will have serious repercussions on India’s economy.

India Tries To Please Trump With Big Shopping List
Mark Linscott, Assistant US trade representative

On Sunday, assistant US trade representative Mark Linscott will be in India to discuss problems on the trade front. India is trying to convince the US that its reciprocal tariffs are part of a WTO-sanctioned right after the US took the first step with steel and aluminium duties.

India is keen end the trade war before the talks between foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman would have with their US counterparts – secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defence secretary James Mattis, respectively – in Washington on July 6.