EconomyGS3+ GS2

Indian Firms Ramp Up US Investment as Tariff Pressure Grows

Indian Express·2026-09-30· Read original

"Indian Firms Ramp Up US Investment as Tariff Pressure Grows"

Prelims Facts

  • •Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1962 allows the US President to impose tariffs on national-security grounds; it was used to raise steel, aluminium and copper duties from 25% to 50%.
  • •Only Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) among GDRs, FCCBs, conditional FII, and NRE deposits are classified as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India.
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Key Terms

Section 232

US law allowing tariffs on imports that threaten national security.

IEEPA

US law granting the President emergency powers over international economic transactions.

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Study Note

BackgroundCore Concept

Background

US trade policy under the current administration increasingly uses tariffs not just to protect domestic industry but to actively pull manufacturing investment back into the country. Steel, aluminium and copper duties were doubled from 25% to 50% under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1962, a national-security provision that lets the President act without going through ongoing bilateral trade-deal negotiations. A similar threat now hangs over generic pharmaceuticals, with proposed tariffs of 100% after two years and 200% thereafter meant to force drug makers to build plants inside the US, even though actual pharma tariffs have so far been kept out of most tariff orders issued under laws such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 1977 and Section 301/122 of the Trade Act, 1974.

US Investment-for-Access Trade Deal Pledges
US investment-for-access trade deals
Japan's US investment pledge
$550 billion
South Korea's US investment pledge
$350 billion
EU's US investment pledge
$600 billion

Alongside these tariff threats, the US has begun tying market access itself to investment commitments in its bilateral trade deals. Japan, South Korea and the European Union have each pledged large sums, $550 billion, $350 billion and $600 billion respectively, to invest in the US as part of their trade agreements, with slow implementation inviting fresh tariff threats. India's own trade talks with the US carry a similar undertone, and Indian companies are responding to both the tariff pressure and this bargaining logic by announcing fresh US investments.

The Topic Explained

Essar Group's Mesabi Metallics project in Minnesota illustrates this pattern well. The venture began as Essar Steel Minnesota, went bankrupt, changed hands, and was later reclaimed by Essar. It has now attracted fresh capital, including an Export-Import Bank loan for its iron-ore mine, precisely because the doubled steel tariff makes domestic ore and steel production more commercially attractive in the US market. JSW Steel has separately committed $500 million, citing the current administration's steel-friendly policies as the reason. In pharmaceuticals, a leading Indian pharma major's proposed $11.75 billion acquisition of a New Jersey-based drugmaker fits the same defensive logic: rather than risk tariffs on generic drug imports, Indian pharma firms are buying or building US-based production and distribution capacity directly. …

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Related PYQs

2021GS1 Prelims

Consider the following:

1.Foreign currency convertible bonds

2.Foreign institutional investment with certain conditions

3.Global depository receipts

4.Non-resident external deposits

Which of the above can be included in Foreign Direct Investments?

A1, 2 and 3
B3 only
C2 and 4
D1 and 4
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Practice MCQs

Economymedium

Consider the following: 1. Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) 2. Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) 3. Non-Resident External (NRE) deposits 4. Foreign Portfolio Investment with control clauses. Which of the above is/are classified as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India?

A1 only
B1 and 2 only
C2 and 3 only
DAll four
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Economyeasy

Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act, 1962 empowers the US President to impose tariffs primarily on which ground?

AAnti-dumping violations
BNational security
CCurrency manipulation
DEnvironmental non-compliance
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Economymedium

Match List I (Trade partner) with List II (Investment pledge to the US under a bilateral trade deal):

List I:

A.Japan

B.South Korea

C.European Union

List II:

1.$350 billion

2.$550 billion

3.$600 billion

AA-2, B-1, C-3
BA-1, B-2, C-3
CA-2, B-3, C-1
DA-3, B-1, C-2
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Economymedium

Which of the following statements about the proposed US tariff plan on generic drugs is/are correct?

1.It proposes raising tariffs on generic drugs to 100% after two years and 200% thereafter.

2.Actual pharma tariffs have already been applied under most tariff orders issued so far.

3.It is intended to reshore generic pharmaceutical manufacturing to the US.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A1 and 3 only
B2 only
C1, 2 and 3
D3 only
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Economyeasy

The Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR(B)] deposit scheme pertains to which of the following?

ADeposits by resident Indians in foreign banks
BForeign currency deposits by NRIs in Indian banks
CRupee-denominated deposits by foreign institutional investors
DSovereign bonds issued by India in foreign currency
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