Why is the US sparing China, but not India, for importing Russian oil?

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to slap new sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Moscow’s crude oil in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

While Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff earlier this month – to a total of 50 percent – on India’s goods, citing its continued imports of Russian oil, he has not instigated similar punitive actions against China, the largest buyer of Russian energy.Who is buying Russian oil, and how does Trump want to prevent that?
As the largest purchaser of Russian oil, China imported a record 109 million tonnes of this product last year, representing nearly 20 percent of its total energy imports, Chinese customs data showed.

India, by contrast, imported 88 million tonnes of Russian oil in 2024.

As such, China has arguably been Russia’s key economic lifeline, leading to accusations that Beijing is indirectly helping Moscow in its war on Ukraine, now in its fourth year.

It is understood that lawmakers from both main US political parties are pushing for a bill – the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 – that would target any country that buys Russian oil and natural gas.

The bill would give Trump the authority to impose 500 percent tariffs against nations perceived to be helping Russia. US senators are reportedly waiting for Trump’s approval to move the bill forward.What reasons has Trump given for not imposing new tariffs on China?
Asked by Fox News on August 15 if he was considering secondary sanctions on Beijing after he and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to agree on a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire in Alaska last week, Trump said, “Well, because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that.