"Tariffs, Export Controls Used For Strategic Purposes": PM's Principal Secretary

Tariffs, export controls, and other trade restrictions are increasingly being deployed for strategic purposes rather than only conventional commercial objectives, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra said on Saturday, warning that economic policy and geopolitical considerations are becoming more closely intertwined.Delivering a keynote address at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Mishra said the changing nature of trade policy was adding to uncertainty for economies and policymakers."In the case of trade policy, tariffs, export controls, and other restrictions are increasingly being used not only for conventional commercial objectives, but also for strategic purposes," Mishra said."The result is a world in which economic policy and geographical considerations are becoming more closely intertwined," he added.Mishra said the challenge for policymakers was not whether globalisation had ended, but how countries could retain the benefits of openness while reducing their exposure to concentrated and unpredictable shocks."The question before policymakers is…