China Gets US Tariff Protection, India Major Target For Russian Oil Purchase
“The persistent exemption of Beijing demonstrates that Russian oil purchases serve merely as a façade for targeting New Delhi”: GTRI
CHENNAI: The US and China have extended the Busan Agreement to January 10, 2027, and this leaves India as the major country targeted under the new US law that can impose up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil.
China, the largest buyer of Russian crude oil, has effectively secured protection through national security exemptions.
Earlier in July 2025 also China got exempted when Washington imposed a 25% tariff on India for purchasing Russian crude. China accounts for 50 per cent of Russia’s crude oil exports, India around 36 per cent, Turkey 6 per cent and European Union 5 per cent. In 2025, India was singled out with 25 per cent tariffs.
“The persistent exemption of Beijing demonstrates that Russian oil purchases serve merely as a façade for targeting New Delhi,” said GTRI.
The primary US objective is neither generating revenue nor shielding domestic industry from Indian goods; rather, Washington is leveraging the threat of severe oil tariffs to coerce India into reducing Russian oil imports and signing a deeply unequal Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). The US strategy aims to leverage 100% tariff threats to extract major trade concessions.
“India must not trade its energy security for temporary tariff relief or sign an unequal trade deal. Surrendering to these demands will offer no lasting defense, as history demonstrates that Washington routinely imposes new tariffs even after signing trade agreements with key allies like the EU, Japan, and South Korea. India should refuse to let American tariff threats dictate its national energy policy,” said GTRI.
