China Tariff Move Under Review Over Russian Oil Trade, But It's More Complicated, Says JD Vance

Last week, Trump declared that tariffs on India would be doubled to 50 per cent after accusing New Delhi of purchasing oil from Moscow.

The initial 25 per cent reciprocal tariff was followed by an additional 25 per cent duty, set to take effect from August 27, making it one of the steepest rates among US trading partners.

Source : PTI

US Vice President JD Vance has said President Donald Trump is weighing the possibility of imposing tariffs on China for importing oil from Russia, but no final decision has been taken yet.

“Well, the President said he’s thinking about it, but he hasn’t made any firm decisions,” Vance told Fox News in an interview on Sunday. He was responding to a question on whether Beijing could face similar measures to those recently announced for India over Russian oil imports.

Last week, Trump declared that tariffs on India would be doubled to 50 per cent after accusing New Delhi of purchasing oil from Moscow. The initial 25 per cent reciprocal tariff was followed by an additional 25 per cent duty, set to take effect from August 27, making it one of the steepest rates among US trading partners. India has criticised the move, calling it “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”

China Case ‘More Complicated’

While commenting on possible action against Beijing, Vance noted, “Obviously the China issue is a little bit more complicated because our relationship with China, it affects a lot of other things that have nothing to do with the Russian situation.” He added that Trump is “reviewing his options, and of course, going to make that decision when he decides.”

Ukraine Peace Talks May Leave Both Sides Dissatisfied

Vance also addressed the planned meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for August 15 in Alaska, aimed at negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.

He cautioned that any agreement emerging from the talks was unlikely to fully satisfy either side. “It’s not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it,” he said.