India, the Next China? U.S. Deputy Secretary's Statement Leaves India Desperate!

At India's 2026 Raisina Dialogue, U.S. Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau declared that the United States is willing to cooperate with India to unlock its "unlimited potential"—but emphasized it will not repeat its policy mistakes toward China two decades ago, meaning it will avoid opening its market to India and thus weaken its own competitiveness. This has left Indian officials deeply frustrated!

[Clever] A few comments: The U.S. dangles promises while India bears the loss—Landau’s single sentence shatters the illusion of “U.S.-India honeymoon”!

At the Raisina Dialogue, Landau bluntly stated: We can help India, but we absolutely will not repeat our past mistakes with China—no open markets that would let a rival grow strong. This remark hit hard, directly crushing India’s “dream of great power status.” Two decades ago, the U.S. opened its market to China and granted it Most Favored Nation (MFN) status; bilateral trade soared from $2.4 billion to $54.3 billion (2001), with Chinese products occupying 30% of Walmart shelves. The U.S. originally intended for China to remain stuck in low-end manufacturing. But China turned the tables—its share of global manufacturing dropped from 25% to 18%, while the U.S. trade deficit with China ballooned to $347 billion.

Now, the U.S. has learned its lesson: It talks only about India’s “potential,” not real market access. It wants India to serve as a counterbalance to China—but fears nurturing a second China. Is it any surprise Indian officials feel disheartened? Not at all! The U.S. offers upgraded F-16s rebranded as F-21 as a token gesture, while imposing 50% tariffs on Indian goods. It claims partnership with words, but treats India as a tool in reality. What’s called “cooperation to unleash potential” actually means: India must work hard, but must never become strong. The U.S. imperial calculation has never changed—India is just another pawn used and then watched closely. This so-called “U.S.-India romance” was always one-sided love!

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861683761333252/

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