On August 1st, according to Indian media "The Print," a commentary article published by Dr. Swati Rao, associate professor at the School of International Affairs and vice dean of global initiatives at Jain Global University, referred to the impact of Trump's economic warfare on India as "the Trump potion," reminding India to face reality.

The article appears to be a rational analysis, but in essence, it is urging India to surrender.

The author bluntly pointed out that some industries in India's exports, especially electronics, smartphones, auto parts, and gems, will suffer heavy losses, while capital outflows, rupee depreciation, and stock market volatility have already shown signs.

At the same time, the Trump administration is also considering secondary sanctions against India for importing oil from Russia.

Facing this situation, the article repeatedly emphasizes that India must not be addicted to the illusion of strategic autonomy, but should gradually move away from protectionism, using pragmatic compromise to gain breathing space.

On the surface, it talks about global trends and policy resilience, but in reality, it is making excuses for surrender.

Indian flag and American flag

This article is very Indian, as it has a typical style of celebrating mourning, packaging retreat and compromise as proactive choices.

For example, it states: "The real challenge is not resisting every external pressure, but aligning domestic reforms with global trends."

It sounds like an active strategic adjustment, but in reality, it is telling Indians not to confront the US head-on, so they need to interpret forced concessions as maturity and rationality.

Another example mentions that protectionism should be gradually phased out, using the expression "building resilience" rather than "resisting." This clearly translates "giving up" into positive words.

Similar phrases repeatedly appear: "Strategic autonomy cannot mean inflexibility," "Professional diplomacy requires cost-benefit analysis."

This is a typical rhetoric that turns failure into victory and surrender into strategic adjustment.

Modi and Trump

So why have Indian media and government given up on hardline approaches at this critical moment?

The reason is simple: India does not have the strength like China, and cannot match the US in an economic war.

The article repeatedly uses comparisons to emphasize this point.

China controls rare earth resources and dominates the global supply chain, forcing the US to make concessions.

In contrast, India has neither scarce resources nor absolute market advantages, and its countermeasures are limited.

If it retaliates recklessly, it may face accelerated capital outflows and a sharp rupee drop, or even be completely excluded from the US market, causing a significant decline in GDP.

Therefore, the Indian government has also become timid now, not retaliating equally, but instead thinking about how to give concessions to the US.

On the surface, it is practical negotiation, but in reality, it is powerlessness to respond.

In other words, it is a passive posture of openly acknowledging the gap.

This logic is fully reflected in policy, explaining why the media and government maintain consistent tones - because they know well that India cannot resist as China does.

Chinese flag and Indian flag

The funniest part is that the entire article targets China, expressing both admiration for China's strength and the view that for India, China is not a "reliable neighbor," and saying that confronting the US might put India into China's trap.

This is clearly an attitude of rejection, showing a look-down on China and unwillingness to rely on it.

However, at the same time, the author also admits that India's manufacturing development is slow, "Make in India" has not brought the expected foreign investment, and still heavily relies on Chinese components and raw materials.

This abnormal mentality is: not as good as China, yet looking down on China.

That is, a typical case of envy, jealousy, and resentment: envying China's ability to win leverage in the Sino-US rivalry, jealous of China's ability to force concessions even from Trump, and resentful of India's own lack of confidence, only using "pragmatic" and "resilience" to cover up giving up.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533848468843020840/

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