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Supercilious Donald Trump tried hard to distract his supporters from his failed policies by levying tariffs on India and other major economic countries to grovel to his detractors to suit his own idiosyncrasies. But little did he know that his pigheadedness could prompt India’s estrangement from the US and compel it to work in tandem with China.
PM Modi at the center with Putin and Xi Jinping (Image Source: Internet)
New Delhi: Supercilious Donald Trump tried hard to distract his supporters from his failed policies by levying tariffs on India and other major economic countries to grovel to his detractors to suit his own idiosyncrasies. But little did he know that his pigheadedness could prompt India's estrangement from the US and compel it to work in tandem with China.
Historical context of India-China relations
The history of relations between India and China has been very up and down. In the early days after independence, there were brotherly relations between the two countries.
India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1950. But this friendship was shattered after the 1962 war, after which there has been deep mistrust and an unresolved border dispute between the two countries.
More recently, the relationship was again deeply damaged by a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020, in which at least 20 Indian soldiers were martyred and many Chinese soldiers were killed.
Despite such a complex history, the current global circumstances are bringing the two countries closer to each other.
Is Donald Trump Backstabbing India? (Image Source: Internet)
The main reason for the change in India-China relations
The long-standing tense relations between India and China are beginning to improve. The main reason for this improvement is the economic policies of the US.
US President Donald Trump's 'America First' policy and the high import duties (tariffs) imposed on other countries, including India, have created a new challenge for India.
These policies are harming India, and this situation has forced India to reconsider its foreign policy. India has made it clear that it is not going to bow down to these high tariffs of America.
An important diplomatic visit
A concrete example of this change is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China. This is Modi's first visit to China since 2018. He will attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is being hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
This conference is an important platform where leaders of Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian countries are also participating. SCO was established mainly by Russia and China with the aim of changing the global power balance.
India's active participation in this program reflects the positive change taking place in India-China relations. This could also put the QUAD group on hold indefinitely.
A strategic setback for America
This new friendship is being considered a major strategic defeat for America. For the last several years, America had been trying to make India its strong partner so that it could counter the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.
For this, America had taken steps like technology sharing and joint military exercises. Experts believe that India's distance from America due to its policies would be the worst result for America.
According to a think tank, due to the change in America's stance, India is having to rearrange its foreign policy and improve relations with China.
