Pramode Mallik
Will US President Donald Trump use the issue of Uyghur Muslims besides tariffs to push China to a corner and punish it at a time when the US-China relations are fast deteriorating?
How will Beijing hit back at Washington besides imposing reciprocal tariffs on US goods?
How will the trade diversion and humanitarian issues impact India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi rushed to Washington to meet Trump and mend ties?
Marco Rubio Rakes Up Issue Of Uyghurs
In a development that might have consequences, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Thailand for deporting dozens of Uyghurs back to China.
Expressing apprehension that the mostly Muslim minority may face “genocide” in China, he said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms Thailand’s forced return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where they lack due process rights and where Uyghurs have faced persecution, forced labor and torture.”
Who Are Uyghurs?
Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group originating from the general region of Central Asia and East Asia.
They live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China.
China has been accused of discriminating against ethnic minority groups.
Uygurs are accused of fighting to carve out a separate East Turkistan region.
Reacting to the deportation of Uyghurs, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk accused Bangkok of violating the legislation it had signed up to prohibit the return of people to places where they may face torture or ill-treatment.
Will US Use Uyghurs To Whip China?
Analysts believe, as before, the US may use the issue of Uyghurs to whip Beijing with a stick it may find difficult to stop. On many earlier occasions, Washington slammed China on the issue.
However, analysts believe, the Donald Trump administration may also use this issue to extract additional concessions on trade and commerce.
Immediately after taking oath as 47th US President, Donald Trump announced to impose of an additional 10% tariff on all goods coming from China. This may come into effect on March 4.
US-China Tariff War?
Trump also announced to impose an additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminimum products originating from Canada and Mexico. These countries retaliated by imposing similar tariffs on US goods.
Though Chinese President Xi Jinping was one of the heads of state Donald Trump called after taking the oath, he is not likely to allow any trade concessions to the Asian giant.
With a trade deficit of $295.4 billion with China, the US is determined to take on Beijing and stop its dominance in international and bilateral trade.
Analysts believe, Donald Trump is most likely to impose tariffs on Chinese goods as high as 40% of certain items.
How Will US-China Trade War Hit India?
The additional US tariffs on China may come as a double whammy for the Indian economy.
While Indian firms may find it difficult to export their goods to the US under increased tariffs, Chinese companies may dump their products at competitive prices in the Indian market.
Secondly, as the US has slammed Thailand on the issue of Uyghurs, it may also slam India on the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and the treatment given to its minorities, including Muslims.
Analysts believe New Delhi needs to be extra-vigilant while dealing with China and be ready to face it in the trade as well as humanitarian issues.
