NEW YORK (Kashmir English): The New York Times, in a recent report, stated that India has become isolated globally after strained relations with the US and China.
In 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping with a red carpet, but during this time, Chinese soldiers got involved in a clash with his troops on the Indian border, which not only embarrassed Narendra Modi but also had to keep the Indian army ready for war in the bitter cold region, which also affected India’s economy, report stated.
Years later, the Indian Prime Minister showed warmth in relations with the US and tried to change this relationship quickly by further enhancing his political credibility.
Narendra Modi developed such a friendship with President Donald Trump during his first term in office that he broke protocol and attended his election campaign in a packed stadium in Houston.
The previous Biden administration also continued to expand relations because India is considered a strong ally against China.
But President Donald Trump’s recent move to impose a hefty 50 percent tariff has humiliated Narendra Modi. Donald Trump has slapped a 50% tariff on India over its purchase of Russian oil and has called the Indian economy dead.
Donald Trump had already angered India by treating the Pakistani leadership as an equal during his efforts to resolve the Indo-Pakistan dispute earlier this year.
All of this has put India in a position where it is having to look at its strengths. Despite being a large and growing economy, Modi this week acknowledged that he could pay a political price for the trade dispute.
India has been trying to mend ties with Beijing, and Modi is due to visit China later this month for the first time in seven years, but relations remain strained by a border clash and China’s support for Pakistan during recent tensions with Pakistan.
Modi, on the other hand, said he was looking forward to hosting Russian President Putin in India later this year. But beyond this race and stubbornness, India’s desire to assert its dominance as an economic and diplomatic power has been.
The uncertainty seems to be fading. There is a growing sense among Indian officials and experts that the country must return to its long-tested policy of strategic autonomy.
Former Indian ambassador to Beijing and Washington, Nirupama Rao, said that Trump’s tough actions have upended the strategic logic of a very important partnership, which was painstakingly cultivated over more than two decades.
New Delhi will have to make very practical strategic adjustments to protect its interests. After Trump announces heavy tariffs this week, Modi had said in a rally that India will never compromise on the interests of its farmers, fishermen. I know that I will have to pay a heavy price personally, and I am ready for it.
The American magazine report said that in fact, these relations had started to deteriorate even before that, when Trump focused on Russian oil, according to officials and analysts. The deterioration of relations is related to a personal resentment of President Donald Trump.
Pakistan’s Relations with the US
Pakistan-India in May this year, when tensions escalated into cross-border clashes, President Donald Trump announced that he had pressured both sides to broker a ceasefire.
While Pakistani officials welcomed this and nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Indian officials denied the US president’s claim and took a stand against Trump’s position, which he has repeated dozens of times.
Indian officials tried to give the impression that Modi was a strong leader who had used his military might to force Pakistan to request a ceasefire. Sanjaya Baru, an advisor to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said that we now have an American president who is very egotistical and has a personal style of leadership, and an Indian prime minister who is also egotistical and has a personal style of leadership.
When you have two leaders who basically turn a relationship between countries into a relationship between individuals, I think that is the price we are probably paying.
