Belgian PM takes veiled swipe at Trump's tariffs and trade policies

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever did not name Donald Trump, but his target was clear enough to draw applause in Mumbai. Speaking about tariffs and trade barriers, De Wever described a pattern in which decisions are made on Monday, revoked on Wednesday and reinstated on Saturday.

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Your applause tells me you know who I am talking about.

"Your applause tells me you know who I am talking about," he told the audience at the India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. His remarks amounted to an apparent criticism of Trump's shifting trade policies and what De Wever called arbitrary restrictions.

He warned against growing calls for closed markets, higher barriers and tariffs. At the same time, he distinguished unpredictable restrictions from countries that deliberately and structurally distort markets. His message was a call for open, predictable and rules-based trade as geopolitical and economic uncertainty increases.

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It was an honour to meet Prime Minister Modi. I consider him to be one of the most inspiring world leaders we have.

De Wever also used the event to praise Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "It was an honour to meet Prime Minister Modi. I consider him to be one of the most inspiring world leaders we have," he said. He added that the world was chaotic and unsettling, but that hearing Modi speak created a sense that people should follow his advice. "He's a wise leader," De Wever said.

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He's a wise leader.

The Belgian prime minister, who took office in February 2025, is visiting India for the first time in the role. He is accompanied by Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken and a delegation of officials and business leaders. De Wever described the India-EU trade agreement concluded earlier this year as a major instrument for strengthening economic resilience. "In January we concluded one of the most far-reaching free trade agreements in the world, the mother of all deals, a market of 2 billion consumers, a quarter of the world economy," he said.

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In January we concluded one of the most far-reaching free trade agreements in the world, the mother of all deals, a market of 2 billion consumers, a quarter of the world economy.