US tariffs open a door for India

A file photo of workers on a production line for electric scooters at a factory in the Tamil Nadu, India. — Atul Loke/The New York Times

EVEN when India was staring down the barrel of a 27% tariff on most of its exports to the United States, business executives and government officials saw an upside – its biggest economic rivals and smaller competitors were facing even worse.

India has been pushing hard in recent years to become a manufacturing alternative to China, and it looked as if it had suddenly gained an advantage.