White House's Hassett says India imposes 'extremely high' tariffs.

 The country is exploring tariff reductions across at least a dozen sectors, including electronics, medical equipment, and chemicals.

India imposes "enormously high" tariffs that restrict imports, U.S. President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said on Monday. He added that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have significant trade issues to discuss with Trump during their upcoming meeting.

Trump believes the U.S. should implement reciprocal tariffs equal to those imposed by other nations, Hassett stated in an interview with CNBC. "If they go down, we'll go down," he said, emphasizing that most U.S. trading partners maintain higher tariffs than the U.S., with Canada, Mexico, and Britain being exceptions.

Earlier on Monday, Reuters reported that Modi is preparing additional tariff reductions ahead of his two-day visit to Washington, starting Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Trump plans to announce new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. on Monday, alongside existing metal duties. Additional reciprocal tariffs are expected to be introduced by Tuesday or Wednesday, taking effect almost immediately.

Trump has previously criticized India as a "very big abuser" in trade and urged it to increase purchases of American-made security equipment to foster a fairer trade relationship.

In response, India is considering tariff cuts in at least a dozen sectors—including electronics, medical equipment, and chemicals—to encourage U.S. exports while aligning with New Delhi's domestic production goals, according to three government officials.