Daily News - Thursday, 11 September 2025

Mexico’s new tariffs on Asian imports aim to counter U.S. trade pressures (The Hindu)

⁠Mexico is imposing tariffs of up to 50% on over 1,400 products from China, South Korea, Thailand, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia to support local industries and counter the impact of U.S. tariffs, especially in the automotive sector that makes up nearly a quarter of its manufacturing. While the government says these tariffs follow international rules and aim to boost domestic production rather than respond to U.S. pressure, experts believe Mexico is using them to negotiate relief from American tariffs alongside talks with Canada and the U.S. on revising their free trade agreement—though it remains uncertain if this approach will succeed, with China criticizing the move and accusing others of coercion.

⁠DigiYatra crosses 16 million users; to expand into border control, hotels (Financial Express)

⁠DigiYatra, India’s government-backed paperless boarding system using facial recognition, has grown to 16 million users and enabled over 67 million journeys across 15 airports since 2022, helping speed up check-ins, reduce queues, and enhance security while ensuring passengers control their data through secure wallets and decentralized protocols. The system, built on global standards like W3C, blockchain, and self-sovereign identity models, is working with organizations like IATA, ICAO, and India’s external and home affairs ministries to expand into e-passports and fully automated border control by 2025–26. Beyond airports, DigiYatra plans to extend into hotels and public spaces for smoother check-ins using verifiable credentials and advanced encryption that keeps personal data private while still enabling seamless identity verification.

Sweden eyes big expansion in its trade partnership with India (The Economic Times)

⁠At the ‘Time for Sweden’ event in New Delhi, Sweden showcased its deepening partnership with India in trade, investment, and innovation, highlighting collaborations in science, technology, and sustainability while emphasizing Sweden’s role as a trusted ally in India’s green transition and digital growth. With over 280 Swedish companies operating in India—employing more than 220,000 directly and 2.2 million indirectly—and 70 Indian firms like TCS and L&T expanding into Sweden, both countries are strengthening ties in sectors such as EVs, renewables, AI, quantum tech, and 5G/6G to drive mutual growth and innovation. Leaders from Sweden and India underlined how their complementary strengths, shared goals on climate action, and initiatives like LeadIT 2.0 and the Green Hydrogen Cluster are paving the way for long-term partnerships rooted in sustainable development, advanced technology, and deeper economic cooperation.

Trump shifts tone, says India trade deal 'no difficulty' and looks forward to talks with 'very good friend' PM Modi (The Economic Times)

After months of trade tensions marked by high tariffs and sharp criticism, President Trump has softened his stance toward India, expressing optimism about finalizing a trade deal with Prime Minister Modi and calling the U.S. and India “great countries” ready to reach a successful agreement. This shift comes just days after Trump warned that India and Russia were being “lost” to China and despite his trade advisor’s ongoing attacks and Trump’s own dismissal of India’s economy as “dead,” even as India’s GDP continues to grow. The renewed talks are significant, given that U.S.-India trade reached $129 billion in 2024 with a $45.8 billion deficit for the U.S., and concerns remain about how tariffs could impact India’s growth moving forward.