India uses UN spotlight to call out developed nations on trade

India accused developed nations of hypocrisy in global trade and their responses to global crises at the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, a charge that followed faltering efforts to negotiate with Washington to remove tariffs tied to its purchases of Russian crude oil.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar used his speech in New York to warn against tariff volatility, technology controls, and supply-chain coercion, while urging the Global South to push back against protectionism.

In an apparent jab at China, Jaishankar also called for “de-risking” of supply chains in critical minerals.

Urging all nations to foster understanding and respect, India’s top diplomat argued before world leaders in New York that “this will only happen when we resist political interference and economic pressures, when narratives are free of prejudice, when double standards are observed and when pluralism is truly appreciated.”

“We now see tariff volatility and uncertain market access as a result. De-risking is a growing compulsion, whether from limited sources of supply, or over dependence on a particular market”, he said.

In his UN speech on Saturday, Jaishankar, India’s top diplomat, called out “better-off societies” for insulating themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: AP

Jaishankar added that economic concerns have other dimensions, including “heightened technology control” and “the grip on supply chains and critical minerals”.

South China Morning Post