India Pulls Ahead of Rivals as Trump Trade War Roils Markets (2)

As US President Donald Trump shocks markets and governments with his trade war, few countries are weathering the turbulence better than India, both politically and economically.

The South Asian nation is well-positioned to withstand ruptures to global trade. When Washington announced its harshest levies yet on dozens of countries this month, India was insulated from the ripple effects by its relatively small export base. Trump’s proposed tariff on Indian goods — 26% — was also far lower than those imposed on manufacturing rivals in Southeast Asia, like Vietnam, where the threat of a 46% import tax fueled panic through factories ...