Stories
Trump-Xi Summit: A Wake-Up Call for Indian Foreign Policy
- •Donald Trump showed unprecedented deference to Xi Jinping, breaking protocol and showering him with praise, despite prior tensions and potential sanctions against China.
- •Trump's administration extended the 'Busan trade truce' and ignored the Lindsey O Graham Russia Sanctions Act, which could have penalized China for Russian oil purchases.
- •India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was pressured by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reduce Russian oil intake, with the US offering its own oil and gas as an alternative.
- •The US-India relationship, once framed by "democratic solidarity," is now seen by some as shifting towards a transactional "America First" approach, potentially reducing India's strategic importance.
- •The article suggests a "brutal reckoning" for India's foreign policy, advocating for derisking and diversification, preceded by internal balancing and domestic reforms.
Key Questions Answered
During their meeting in New York, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed potential sanctions against states engaging economically with Russia and Iran, with Rubio emphasizing that India must reduce its intake of Russian oil or face punitive steps.
Donald Trump broke six decades of protocol by receiving Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport, giving him a personal White House tour, hosting a lavish state dinner, and showering him with extensive praise and personal flattery.
India absorbed US protectionist levies without retaliating, lowered its own tariffs, eased regulatory frictions, pledged a record $20.5 billion in investments at the SelectUSA summit, and scaled back purchases of discounted Russian crude.
