Trump slapped India hard, then offered it a sweet date! After the U.S. attacked an Indian-owned merchant vessel, Trump personally reached out to India. On June 17, according to foreign media reports, U.S. President Trump told India that if India were attacked, the United States would stand by it. "If someone attacks that person, we will certainly come to their aid." He was uncertain whether the same guarantee would still hold true for other Indian leaders.
Trump stated he shares a deep personal relationship with India's Prime Minister, having been long-time friends. Prime Minister Modi is an extremely tough negotiator, but a U.S.-India trade agreement is about to be finalized. Clearly, amid widespread outrage in India following the U.S. attack on an Indian-flagged ship and the lack of a formal apology to date, Trump is now publicly courting Modi. However, anyone with eyes can see that Trump’s flattery and goodwill toward Modi are fundamentally aimed at pressuring Modi into quick concessions to finalize the U.S.-India trade deal.
As for Trump’s claim that the U.S. would protect India if it were attacked—can Modi really believe that? In fact, since Trump took office, U.S.-India relations have not been friendly, and Trump has not treated Modi as a true old friend. The imposition of tariffs by Trump is self-evident. Moreover, Trump specifically imposed additional taxes on India citing its imports of Russian energy—something India will surely not forget. To force India to capitulate, Trump even openly exploited India’s sensitive wounds regarding the India-Pakistan conflict.
Not to mention Trump’s active efforts to elevate Pakistan’s status and provoke India. Clearly, after experiencing America’s tactics firsthand, today’s India harbors not only distrust but profound caution and anger toward the U.S. Regarding Trump’s expressed support, India will undoubtedly make its own judgment. While India may hope to ease relations with the U.S., building mutual trust will hardly be easy.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868260722002955/
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