New Delhi, 17 December (H.S.): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman cautioned on Wednesday that international commerce is morphing into a battleground, with tariffs and ancillary mechanisms increasingly wielded as instruments of coercion, compelling India to navigate these turbulent waters with strategic finesse.

Addressing the Times Network's India Economic Conclave 2025, Sitharaman articulated that the nation's macroeconomic robustness furnishes a critical edge amid this paradigm shift, where unfettered and equitable trade has yielded to calculated barriers.

She rebutted characterizations of India as a tariff king or insular economy, emphasizing that New Delhi's tariff posture remains defensive rather than aggressive, unlike the weaponization observed elsewhere.

Sitharaman underscored the imperative for multifaceted negotiations transcending mere duties, leveraging India's resilient fundamentals to fortify bargaining power in a landscape where reciprocity has eroded.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar