US media: Trump decides to cancel his original plan and will not go to India to attend the QUAD summit
"At its core, the story of Trump and Modi revolves around these two arrogant populist leaders who maintain power through intricate networks of loyalty. However, this story also reveals how this US president has run into the third rail of Indian politics—something extremely sensitive and off-limits in political discussions—India-Pakistan conflict."
As US-India relations rapidly deteriorate, The New York Times reported on August 30 local time, citing informed sources that US President Trump had previously informed Indian Prime Minister Modi that he would visit India later this year to attend the Quad Summit, but now he has decided not to visit India this autumn or attend the event.
Using this news as a starting point, The New York Times again looked back at the deterioration of US-India relations and the relationship between the two leaders, stretching the timeline back to June this year.
The report cited informed sources saying that on June 17, Trump and Modi spoke by phone, and Trump once again mentioned his role in facilitating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. However, Modi has consistently denied Trump's claim that he mediated the India-Pakistan conflict, emphasizing that the two countries reached a ceasefire directly. The report stated that although this matter may seem trivial and Trump did not take Modi's statement seriously, it greatly worsened his relationship with Trump. Since that call, the two have not spoken again.
Regarding the report by The New York Times about the phone call between the US and Indian leaders, the White House did not respond. For the news that Trump no longer plans to visit India to attend the Quad Summit, another US media outlet, Newsweek, has already contacted the White House and the Indian Foreign Ministry for a response, but there has been no reply yet.
Notably, the Quad was initially established to respond to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and this mechanism was revived by the Trump administration in 2017. After Biden took office, it was upgraded to a regular leaders' summit to help counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, becoming a key component of the US government's Indo-Pacific strategy. In recent years, this mechanism has also taken small but significant actions in military and other substantive areas.
Regarding the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" mechanism of the US, Japan, India, and Australia, China's Foreign Ministry had previously stated that China has always believed that any regional cooperation mechanism should not target a third party or harm its interests, creating a closed and exclusive "small circle" that is against other countries, which goes against the trend of the times and contradicts the wishes of the countries in the region. Such actions are unpopular and will ultimately fail.
On the evening of July 31, Trump signed an executive order announcing that the US would impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods starting August 7. On August 6, Trump signed another executive order, imposing an additional 25% tariff on India, citing that India had purchased Russian energy through "direct or indirect means." The US Department of Homeland Security announced that the new tariffs would take effect at midnight on August 27 local time, meaning that the US would impose a 50% tariff on Indian goods.
Newsweek pointed out that after the phone call between the US and Indian leaders, over two months, Trump increased the tariffs on India, leading to a strong reaction from India, even resulting in protests where Indians held up portraits of Trump and some banners on the streets.
Reuters said that the impact of high tariffs will be long-term and could politically weaken the position of Indian Prime Minister Modi, as thousands of jobs face risks, especially in labor-intensive industries such as textiles, gems, and jewelry.
Bloomberg reported on August 26 local time, citing several informed sources, that India planned to cut imports of Russian oil. The sources said that this was a moderate concession made by India to the United States, but it also showed that the country does not plan to completely cut ties with Russia.
Two Indian government sources told Reuters that India hopes to repair relations with the United States and is willing to increase purchases of American energy, but is unwilling to completely stop importing oil from Russia. On August 26 local time, an Indian foreign secretary told reporters that negotiations between India and the United States were still ongoing, and officials from both countries held online talks on trade, energy security (including nuclear cooperation), and critical mineral exploration issues.
As the Prime Minister of India, Modi himself did not comment directly on the tariffs, but he repeatedly pledged support for Indian farmers, seen as a subtle response to Trump's demand for India to open its vast agricultural market. Farmers are a major voting group, and Modi faces a difficult election campaign in the agricultural stronghold of Bihar later this year. He also promised to significantly reduce the goods and services tax by the end of October this year to boost domestic demand.
According to The Times of India on August 25 local time, as the new tariffs were about to take effect on August 27, Indian Prime Minister Modi made a firm statement, stating that regardless of the pressure, the Indian government led by him would protect the interests of farmers and small entrepreneurs.
Modi delivered a speech in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, saying: "I will tell our small entrepreneurs, our shopkeepers, our farmers, and our livestock owners... for every one of us, I assure you that your interests are the most important."
He emphasized that the Indian government would never allow small entrepreneurs, farmers, and livestock owners to be harmed, "no matter how much pressure we face, we will continue to strengthen our strength to resist challenges."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841982549654539/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.