Belgian PM Takes Veiled Dig At Trump’s Tariff Policies, Hails Modi As ‘Wise Leader’

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Friday took a veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, criticising what he described as arbitrary tariff decisions and warning that rising protectionism was threatening global economic stability.

Addressing the India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement in Mumbai, De Wever said some countries were pushing for higher trade barriers and closed markets, while others were deliberately seeking to distort global markets.

“Some do this entirely arbitrarily. They decide something on Monday, they revoke it on Wednesday, and they reinstall it on Saturday,” he said, drawing applause from the audience.

De Wever then added: “Your applause tells me you know who I am talking about.”

‘I Am Not Going To Say The Name’

Although he did not name Trump, De Wever later made the reference clearer.

“I am not going to say the name, but you know who I mean,” he said while criticising the use of tariffs and what he described as changing positions on international trade.

The Belgian prime minister stressed the importance of open markets and stronger economic partnerships, warning that protectionism and unfair competition could put both economic and geopolitical stability under pressure.

India-EU Trade Pact As ‘Structural Buffer’

De Wever said the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement could act as a “structural buffer” against unilateral tariffs and economic coercion while making both economies more resilient.

He also warned against countries deliberately distorting markets to make trading partners dependent, an apparent reference to China.

Describing India and Belgium as open trading economies, De Wever said neither could afford economic isolation and called for deeper cooperation.

He identified maritime services, green hydrogen and infrastructure as potential areas for closer collaboration between the two countries.

“We are not coming to discuss what we might do; we are coming to agree on what we are going to do together,” he said, signalling an emphasis on turning the bilateral partnership into concrete projects, particularly in the maritime sector.

De Wever Praises Modi

The Belgian prime minister also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as a “wise leader” during his remarks in Mumbai.

“We live in a chaotic world. You are right. And if you hear many world leaders, you feel afraid, disturbed, threatened. But if PM Narendra Modi speaks, you think, hmm, we should do what he says. He’s a wise leader, a wise leader,” De Wever said.

He said it was an honour to have engaged with India and described his visit to Mumbai as both an honour and a pleasure.