New Delhi, Jan 09 :
India on Friday said it is closely following developments relating to a proposed American legislation that seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariff on countries procuring Russian crude oil. India and China are among a handful of countries which are procuring a significant volume of crude oil from Russia.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, the author of the bill, said this week that President Donald Trump has green-lighted the proposed legislation.
“We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing here. “Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known.” “In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people,” he said.
On the issue of minorities in Bangladesh, Jaiswal said India continues to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on
‘Closely Following Developments’:
minorities, including their homes and businesses, by extremist elements. He said such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly, and cautioned that attributing them to personal rivalries, political differences or other extraneous reasons only emboldens the perpetrators and deepens fear and insecurity among minorities.
On the Shaksgam Valley, the spokesperson said the region is Indian territory and reiterated that India has never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan ‘Boundary Agreement’ signed in 1963, describing it as illegal and invalid. “We also do not recognize the so called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory that is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan,” he added.
The spokesperson said, “The entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times.” India has consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality in Shaksgam Valley, Jaiswal said. “We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests,” he added.
On Chinese military exercises near Taiwan, the spokesperson said India closely follows developments across the Indo-Pacific region and has an abiding interest in peace and stability given its significant trade, economic, people-to-people and maritime interests. He urged all concerned parties to exercise restraint, avoid unilateral actions and resolve issues through peaceful means without the threat or use of force.
Responding to comments by the US Secretary of Commerce, Jaiswal said India and the US have been committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since February last year and have held multiple rounds of talks to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial deal.
He said, “The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate. We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and look forward to concluding it. Incidentally, Prime Minister and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership.”
On remarks made by the New York Mayor, the spokesperson said India expects public representatives to respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies, adding that expressing personal prejudices does not behove those in office and that focus should instead remain on the responsibilities entrusted to them.
