German media: US-India dispute, Indian economic circles advocate closer ties with China

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung believes that the originally solid US-India "strategic partnership" is showing cracks due to Trump's high-pressure policies, and the opponent may become the ultimate beneficiary of this dispute. The Handelsblatt commentary states that the end of the US-India honeymoon indicates that Trump's "improvisational" foreign policy has no clear strategy or planning regarding China.

The article in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung wrote that the US president waved the tariff stick at India, lured Pakistan, and publicly humiliated Indian Prime Minister Modi. These actions not only threaten the trust built over two decades between the US and India but also put India in a dilemma in its foreign and security policies. This report, titled "The US-India Relationship Is in Jeopardy, Beijing May Benefit," reads:

"For New Delhi, giving up the United States as a strategic partner would be a very difficult choice. Although India's export-oriented economy is not obvious, the 50% punitive tariffs will still put it at a disadvantage in competition with other Asian countries. In addition, Trump criticized American companies that have moved manufacturing from China to India, which directly threatens an important pillar of Modi's economic policy."

In terms of security policy, the current situation is more complicated for India. India is not a US ally like Japan and South Korea, and the India-Pakistan relationship has always been tense. After the conflict in the undetermined Himalayan border area five years ago, the India-China relationship has remained contentious.

Therefore, facing increasing pressure from the United States, voices within India calling for closer ties with China are growing, especially among the economic circles. The normalization of India-China relations has already taken the first steps. At the Russia BRICS summit last October, the top leaders of India and China held a meeting. Reuters reported that Modi will visit China for the first time in seven years in late August this year, when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit will be held in China.

Experts from the Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation believe that India's China policy is undergoing a pragmatic adjustment, and Hashmi, an expert on India from the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, also said that in addition to maintaining a certain degree of stable relations with Beijing, India has no other choice. In fact, similar views can be heard in many Asian countries today."

However, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung also cited experts who wrote that the improvement of India-China relations is also constrained by many limitations, and the fundamental contradictions between the two sides have not been resolved. In the eyes of many Indians, restoring trust in China will take an extremely long time:

"Similarly, the damage caused to the US-India relationship by Trump will require a long recovery process. The words and deeds of the US president make many Indians think of the arrogance and oppression of British colonizers toward Indians. In New Delhi, people feel they have been treated unfairly because countries importing Russian oil also include China, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, and France, but only India has been threatened by Trump's tariffs."

Under Modi's leadership, India has become increasingly confident, and therefore, people are more resentful of Western reprimands and interventions. Professor Mohan from the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore stated that the Indian public cannot accept open criticism and humiliation of India, "'This practice is unacceptable in post-colonial Asia, but Trump obviously doesn't understand it.'" [the word 'unacceptable' is missing here].

Regarding the US-India relationship, which has shifted from high praise to mutual accusations within a few months, the Handelsblatt published a commentary stating:

"The crisis in US-India relations also highlights the lack of direction in Trump's China strategy. Over the past fifteen years, both Democrats and Republicans believed that it was necessary to build a close relationship with India, as only then could the attempt of the opponent to dominate the order in the Indo-Pacific region be effectively countered. Now, Trump is doing everything possible to anger New Delhi, while at the same time backing down in the trade war with the opponent. Recently, Trump withdrew the chip sanctions against China because he was worried that the opponent would ban the export of rare earths."

"In addition, Trump is trying to create a favorable atmosphere for his trip to the East. After the failure of his 'reverse Nixon diplomacy,' which aimed to convince Russian President Putin to abandon China and align with the US, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, he now seems to be turning to 'Nixon diplomacy,' seeking some kind of deal with the major Eastern power to stop supporting Putin's war. All of these are reflections of Trump's highly narcissistic and unstructured improvisational foreign policy."

Source: DW

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1839813766329352/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.