India yet to respond to Trump's threat post-BRICS declaration, China says 'no conflict'

US President Donald Trump has threatened to slam an additional 10 per cent tariff on countries supporting what he calls “anti-American policies” after the leaders of BRICS nations condemned unilateral tariffs at the leaders’ summit in Brazil on Sunday. "Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10 per cent tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," the US president posted on Truth Social.

The US president’s tariff deadline expires on Wednesday, 9 July. If countries fail to sign Bilateral Trade Agreements (BTAs) by then, the US has threatened to go back to the unilateral tariff the US president announced in April, which was based on the trade deficit of the US with each country. The unilateral tariffs were paused for three months until 9 July to allow BTAs to be signed.  

As the deadline approaches, Trump has been angered by the BRICS declaration pledging to strengthen multilateralism and “Global South cooperation for a more inclusive and sustainable governance”.

While India is yet to react officially to Trump’s threat, China on Monday stated that the BRICS bloc does not seek conflict. "With regards to imposing tariffs, China has consistently made clear its view that trade war and tariff war have no victors and protectionism has no solution," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference in Beijing.

BRICS leaders voiced concerns over the growing use of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures, which they argued distorted trade rules and undermined the multilateral trading system.

“The proliferation of trade-restrictive actions… threatens to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities and affecting prospects for global economic development,” the BRICS declaration said. The two-day summit draws to a close on Monday, 7 July.

At this year’s summit in Rio de Janeiro, BRICS leaders have also pushed for increased use of local currencies to improve the Global South’s clout as an alternative to Western power, further alarming the US and causing Trump’s earlier threat.

“Of course, we’re not talking about de-dollarisation, because there’s a long way to go, but at least we try — Malaysia with Indonesia, Malaysia with Thailand, and together with China — trying to use our own local currency. Even beginning with 10 or 20 per cent, it makes a difference,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said at a forum on Saturday on the sidelines of the summit, which formally began on Sunday.

Even as the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping from the summit — for the first time in 12 years since he assumed office — Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian robbed the summit of some of its star appeal, the BRICS declaration did not mince words.

It also condemned the military strikes against Iran without naming the US and Israel. "We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East. We further express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA," the document read.

While the BRICS declaration was careful to not say anything to invite the ire of the United States, the moody US president appeared to be touchy about the noises coming out of Brazil.

The BRICS bloc currently comprises Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.