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Facing tariffs and insults from President Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a far friendlier interaction on Monday with his Russian and Chinese counterparts during his first visit to China in seven years.
The big picture: Successive U.S. presidents have aggressively courted India as a counterweight to China. Trump is actively trying to drive a wedge between India and Russia while seeking to gradually peel Russia away from China. So the image of all three leaders literally holding hands is, at the very least, a symbolic blow.
Driving the news: Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin entered the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit hand-in-hand and immediately formed a tight circle with Chinese President Xi Jinping — warm smiles on display for the press.
-Xi gave a speech denouncing “Cold War mentalities” and “bullying,” without mentioning Trump’s name.
-Modi and Putin shared a limo ride and spoke one-on-one for nearly an hour. Modi later told Putin, “1.4 billion Indians are waiting with excitement” to welcome him later this year.
-Xi and Modi also met on Sunday, with readouts from both of the neighboring giants stressing they are “partners,” not “rivals.”
Between the lines: From Modi’s perspective, the pageantry seems a clear attempt to demonstrate that India is a powerful player with influential partners.
Trump’s 50% tariffs, doubled last week over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, have sparked outrage in the country. So have insulting comments from Trump and some on his team.
-Trump doubled down on Monday, calling U.S. trade with India “a totally one sided disaster.”
-Modi has signaled India won’t stop buying oil from Russia, and has moved to patch up ties with Xi, potentially undercutting more than a decade of U.S. efforts to team up with India in its competition with China.
Reality check: While Sino-Indian relations seem to have thawed, they’re hardly warm. Deadly 2020 border clashes still loom large, along with disputes over technology and regional influence.
-Some analysts also think the “relationship without limits” between China and Russia will be undermined over time by their growing power imbalance, anxiety over their shared borer, and differences on regional issues like North Korea.
The bottom line: For now at least, the Trump administration’s desire to put distance between the three powers is not bearing fruit.
Axios
