Indian Prime Minister Modi embarks on a trip to China, emphasizing that India possesses viable options beyond the United States in the face of significant tariffs.
In a significant diplomatic move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently in China, marking a visit that was planned months ago but has taken on a new urgency. This visit comes amidst a complex web of geopolitical tensions and trade disputes between the two nations.
Peter Navarro, a trade advisor to President Trump, has been vocal about his stance, browbeating Prime Minister Modi on a near-daily basis. One of Navarro's statements highlighted the potential for peace, suggesting that the road to peace, at least partly, runs through New Delhi. However, this sentiment is contrasted by the doubling of tariffs on India to 50% by President Trump, a move intended as punishment for India's role as a major buyer of Russian oil.
Tensions between India and China have been simmering for years, particularly over China's military supplies to Pakistan. These tensions came to a head in May when Pakistan and India fought to a ceasefire, with Chinese fighter jets downing Indian fighter planes. Conflict over the border has resulted in deadly skirmishes five years ago, killing 24 soldiers, mostly Indian. Despite multiple rounds of discussion, the demarcation of their Himalayan border remains unresolved, a pressing grievance that Prime Minister Modi has not yet addressed during his visit.
Fareed Zakaria, a CNN commentator, described the Trump administration's approach towards India as the biggest strategic mistake of the Trump presidency so far. Shashank Singh, a lecturer in South Asian studies at Yale, echoes this sentiment, stating that tariffs and public humiliations have weakened Prime Minister Modi, giving China more leverage over India.
However, India is not backing down. Pro-government outlets in India are projecting defiance in response to the tariffs and pressure from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, China has signaled its dominance, with 300 Chinese engineers being pulled from iPhone plants in India, reflecting a policy of discouraging companies from shifting manufacturing to other Asian countries.
Despite the challenges, India wants to be friends with China. However, as Singh notes, this friendship must occur on Chinese terms. Prime Minister Modi is not buying the Trump administration's perspective on the conflict in Ukraine, and Washington no longer supports India's efforts to be a stronger manufacturing hub in Asia.
Relations between India and China are improving to some degree, with relaxing visa restrictions and the resumption of a Hindu pilgrimage. Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia at the think tank Chatham House, points to these signs as evidence of improving relations. However, the complex web of geopolitical tensions and trade disputes ensures that this visit by Prime Minister Modi will be anything but straightforward.
The events roughly span from mid-2018 to 2020 when the increased tariffs were imposed and trade talks between the US and India broke down. Countries that improved their relations with China in this context include those aligned with or benefiting from the US-India trade tensions. However, specific countries explicitly mentioned as improving relations with China directly due to these tariffs are not detailed in the search results.
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