India Doesn’t Want to Need China: But U.S. Policy Is Forcing New Delhi to Turn to Its Rival

3 comments

1. I do wonder if what India is currently doing is a negotiating tactic to get a better deal with the US.

   In Trump’s eyes the US has no incentive to give India a good deal (they absolutely do, but that’s just not how trump sees it). In showing the world that they are absolutely willing to move closer to China and it isn’t just a bluff, this provides trump with an incentive to offer a better deal.

   I also think that this is what the EU tried badly to do but failed.

2. The thing is India has no cards to play. It cannot simply ally with China because China does not want a closer relation with India which it sees as a threat jousting for regional hegemony. Plus, China has a deep relationship with Pakistan and I cannot see a scenario where it would favor India over Pakistan

3. On trade I think all the US wanted is no trade deficit. I don’t get why it seems so wrong about it. Are there any obligations somehow India must have a trade surplus towards the US? If that’s the case why doesn’t India aim for a trade surplus with China? What is so special about the US in trade?

   On Russia, it is quite common in the past to sanction any invaders especially after the UN was established. Back then everyone agreed to set the norm that annexation (conquering and absorbing other nations) are not allowed. Somehow it has changed in the last few years and India strongly opposed it, because Russia is a “friend” and India can cash in from the transaction.

   Many countries are getting transactional now, probably learning from China. We seem to have forgotten what we had learnt from WW1 and WW2. Perhaps a WW3 will remind us that we do need to uphold some principles to maintain international peace, if we can survive WW3.

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