India Helped Us, Now We Must Support Them,” Sri Lankan MP on US Tariff Row

Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva urged his country to stand with India amid rising US-India trade tensions, recalling India’s crucial $4 billion aid during Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis. He criticized US President Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods, calling them unfair. De Silva emphasized that India was Sri Lanka’s only true ally in difficult times and warned against underestimating India’s resilience.

New Delhi: Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva expressed concern over the growing tension between the US and India in the Sri Lankan Parliament on August 11, 2025. He referred to President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian products and said that Sri Lanka should take the matter seriously. He reminded them that India had helped Sri Lanka during its severe economic crisis in 2022 when no one else was helping.

Harsha de Silva supported India's stance, calling the US tariff policy unfair. He said, "Don't make fun of India. Don't laugh at them when they are in trouble, because when we were in trouble, only India helped us." He further said that India expected the US to reduce the tariff to 15%, but it did not happen.

In 2022, Sri Lanka was going through a severe economic crisis. The country was facing a shortage of fuel, food grains, and medicines, and the foreign exchange reserves were empty. In such a situation, India provided Sri Lanka with more than $4 billion in economic assistance, which included loans, currency exchange, and humanitarian aid. This move by India proved to be a lifesaver for Sri Lanka.

At the same time, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on India on Russian oil imports on August 6, 2025, taking the total tariff to 50%. This has further increased the India-US trade tension. Harsha de Silva gave a message to Sri Lanka to stand with India on this issue, as India has supported Sri Lanka in difficult times.

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