Hamza Zaman & Muhammad Salman Tariq
U.S. President Donald Trump canceled his visit to India to attend the QUAD Summit amidst the ongoing tensions between the two countries, exacerbated by President Trump's heightened tariffs on Indian imports to a massive 50%. Despite previous warnings issued by the Trump administration, New Delhi consistently disregarded U.S. demands, widening the friction between the two nations. The relationship was further strained by Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China after 7 years to attend the 2-day SCO summit. The Trump administration perceives this visit as India’s attempt at rapprochement with China and seeking an alternative to the U.S., thus further aggravating the mistrust.
President Trump repeatedly denounced India as facilitating the Russian offensive in Ukraine by procuring cheap Russian oil. Despite his continuous warning, India refrained from suspending the purchase of Russian oil, resulting in the enforcement of 50% tariffs. President Trump views India’s defiance as an obstacle to his plan on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, possibly foreseeing a Nobel Prize as the great peacemaker. However, Trump’s futile efforts at concluding the war exacerbate Trump’s frustration with India, as India’s lack of cooperation hampers Trump’s aspiration to conclude the war.
The Trump administration expected India’s cooperation by acceding to his demands, as the U.S. has been the largest economic and strategic partner of India. Despite the decades-long strategic partnership, the Trump administration failed to accrue India’s diplomatic and strategic assistance over the Ukraine War. On the contrary, India rebutted American demands, opting to continue the procurement of Russian oil. Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar expressed his viewpoint on buying Russian oil, asserting that this is the best deal on the table for India.
In order to counter the U.S. tariff pressure, the Modi government has sought rapprochement with China. The visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister to China, followed by the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister to India, reinstated diplomatic visits between the two countries whose relations had been contentious after multiple border conflicts. However, the biggest development in India-China relations has been the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, after 7 years. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and resolving the longstanding border issues, calling each other developing partners rather than rivals.
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