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To handle Trump's irrationality, India must fix its own bipolar discourse
Shekhar Gupta
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Psychoanalysing Donald Trump is a booming global business. We in India are doing our bit. The only objective, however, is to find a way of surviving him for about two more years. It can't be to cure him. Nobody has a pill or therapy for him. India has to look at ways to protect itself from his industrial-scale irrationality.
To protect ourselves from Trumpian diplomacy on social media, we must first introspect the bipolarity within our establishment discourse. Establishment here means not just the Modi government but also much of its support base in public debate, from social media to
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Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Why many Chinese foreign affairs analysts reacted critically to PM Modi's likely China visit
On June 30, US President Donald Trump first threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Indian imports, over India's oil purchases from Russia amid the Ukraine war. Soon, there were speculations in the Indian media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was likely to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' meet in Tianjin, China. The grouping includes nine member nations, including India, China, Pakistan and Russia. A possible reason for the visit, according to some Chinese analysts, was India seemingly hedging its options in global affairs. They called the move, if true, liang tou chi – or, 'to have the cake and eat it too.' Significantly, as soon as Washington escalated the trade offensive with an extra 25% tariff on certain imports, pushing the total levy to 50%, Beijing officially welcomed PM Modi's visit to attend the SCO summit. However, the news has drawn sharp reactions in China over the visit, which could happen after a seven-year gap. The official response in China PM Modi last visited China in 2018 on two occasions. First, in April for the India-China Informal Summit at Wuhan, and later in June for the SCO Heads of State meeting in Qingdao. This time, China's state-run Xinhua news agency and the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson have welcomed the visit, even before an official announcement from New Delhi. The Chinese Communist Party's English tabloid, Global Times, in a recent editorial, even criticised Western media reports interpreting the visit as a 'hedge against' the US, saying the countries had multiple common areas of cooperation. The other view, led by skeptics Those more suspicious of India's 'playing both sides' diplomacy in China have warned their government to remain vigilant. In a rare public defiance of a government decision, a reader wrote on a Chinese news website: 'India's 'allying with the US to resist China' and 'allying with China to deal with the US' — one is for 'resistance' and the other is for 'coping'. Can this be called 'maintaining a balance between China and the United States'?' Scholars in China have offered several explanations for such critical views: First, with economic and trade relations between India and the United States at a low point, India's readjustment of its relationship with China is seen as a key counterbalancing measure. For years, the US has also sought to develop closer ties with India, in part to counter China in Asia. But Chinese analysts are questioning how far India can truly go in improving relations with China in this context. Second, they are questioning that if the visit is not just a result of the US factor, will India a) agree to hold a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the SCO meeting sidelines; and b) display a genuine commitment to go an extra mile in readjusting its 'leaning on one side' foreign policy towards the US. Third, on the same day as Trump's tariffs and news of the SCO visit came out, Trump announced a 'major breakthrough' in US-Russia negotiations. He is also now scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. China's strategic affairs community, doubtful of India's commitment, is asking if Trump and Putin strike a 'deal' on Ukraine, India buying Russian oil may no longer be a problem. Will PM Modi still travel to China for the SCO summit? Simply, there remains a significant sense of distrust in China towards India, which is not exactly a new development. From the days of the Cold War, the Chinese establishment has found India's non-alignment policy to be suspicious, often believing that it is acting on behalf of the US under the guise of an autonomous foreign policy. With the collapse of the USSR and India's economic liberalisation, its deepening engagement with the US has added to this view in China. View of limited gains from PM Modi's visit Scholars in China have also questioned India's commitments in both the SCO and BRICS (including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), stating that PM Modi attended just three of the last ten SCO leaders' meetings. They have also pointed to the June meeting in Qingdao for the SCO Defence Ministers, where Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, and refused to sign the SCO joint statement. Wang Yiwei, an influential International Relations scholar and professor at Beijing's People's University, has gone as far as to say that New Delhi actually did violate Western sanctions on Russia. 'The nature of China and India is different. China-Russia economic and trade relations have lasted for many years, but India has significantly increased its production of Russian oil after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, which is regarded as a violation of Western sanctions. Moreover, India also resells Russian oil to Europe,' he wrote. Shift under Trump An overwhelming sense in China is that India has always pursued a policy of playing both sides. For example, on India being a member of the SCO and the US-led QUAD security dialogue (with Australia and Japan), a Chinese scholar cited PM Modi's previous remarks: 'India has never considered itself bound to a single security alliance.' Some scholars now believe that under Trump 2.0, this will change. Today, the relationship between New Delhi and Washington is undergoing major adjustments, with significant differences on many issues, including trade, diplomacy, and energy. Likewise, there are many pressing issues between China and India which not only limit the depth of China-India economic and trade cooperation but also damage mutual understanding and trust. Some of these include tensions at the border, 'reviewing' and suppressing Chinese capital, restricting visas for Chinese technical personnel, no direct flights between the two countries, India imposing numerous barriers on Chinese investments, etc. Reflecting the Chinese government's view, the GT editorial puts a condition for Modi's visit translating into improved bilateral relations, saying 'We welcome Prime Minister Modi to visit China with genuine intentions to improve bilateral ties…' At the same time, a WeChat social media commentary declared India a 'joke,' saying Trump's 'tariff terrorism' has left the country 'powerless' and without bargaining chips, reflecting the divergent views. Hemant Adlakha teaches Chinese at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He is also Vice Chairperson and an Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), Delhi.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Historic gift before Durga Puja': PM Modi to inaugurate 3 metro projects in Kolkata on Aug 22
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three metro projects in Kolkata on August 22, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said on Thursday. Independence Day 2025 Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currency Swadeshi 2.0: India is no longer just a market, it's a maker Modi will inaugurate the Sealdah-Esplanade section of the Green Line, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby Crossing)-Beleghata section of the Orange Line, and Noapara- Jai Hind (airport) section of the Yellow Line, he said in a post on X, sharing an invitation sent to him by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to the inauguration programme. With this, the Green Line, touted as India's first underwater metro, will become fully operational, connecting Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector 5, and the Kolkata airport will get a metro link. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo Majumdar said it was a "historic gift" for West Bengal before Durga Puja . The inauguration function will be held at the Jessore Road metro station of the Yellow Line in the northern suburbs of the city, according to the letter. Live Events At present, the Green Line is operational in two disjointed sections -- Howrah Maidan-Esplanade and Sealdah-Salt Lake Sector 5. Construction of the Sealdah-Esplanade section was disrupted following a series of subsidence in Bowbazar in the central part of the city. The much-awaited inauguration of the Sealdah-Esplanade section will help lakhs of people travelling to the IT hub Sector 5, as the Green Line connects with the Blue Line at Esplanade, besides linking Howrah and Sealdah railway stations. PM Modi will also inaugurate a subway at the Howrah metro station. The airport will also get a metro link with this inauguration, benefiting flyers and also helping people commuting to Kolkata from the northern suburbs. The Yellow Line will connect with the Blue Line at Noapara. The Orange Line, already operational between New Garia and Ruby Crossing, will benefit people living in the eastern and southern suburbs of the metropolis. In the invitation letter, Vaishnaw said the Centre is committed to upgrading train services and infrastructure in West Bengal. He said that at present, works of Rs 83,765 crore are in progress in West Bengal, and a record allocation of Rs 13,955 crore was made in this budget for the state. Vaishnaw said 101 railway stations in the state are being redeveloped, while nine Vande Bharat and two Amrit Bharat trains are running here. Metro Railway Kolkata, which operates the city's mass rapid transit system, is a zone of the Indian Railways .
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
‘India will continue…': Finance Ministry reacts as S&P Global upgrades rating amid Trump's ‘dead economy' jibe
The Ministry of Finance reacted positively to S&P Global Ratings upgrading India's long-term sovereign credit rating to 'BBB' from 'BBB-' — the first such upgrade in 18 years, since January 2007. In a lengthy post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the Finance Ministry credited the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and promised continued growth momentum to achieve 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047. The ministry wrote, 'The Government of India welcomes the decision by S&P Global Ratings to upgrade India's long-term sovereign credit rating to 'BBB' from 'BBB-' and its short-term rating to 'A-2' from 'A-3', with a Stable Outlook.' It highlighted that 'S&P last upgraded India in January 2007 to 'BBB-', hence, this rating upgrade comes after an 18-year gap', adding that this ratings upgrade 'reaffirms that under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, providing stability, India's economy is truly agile, active, and resilient'. The statement added that 'India has prioritised fiscal consolidation, while maintaining its strong infrastructure creation drive and inclusive growth approach, that has led to the upgrade. India will continue its buoyant growth momentum and undertake steps for further reforms to attain the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.' 'S&P's is the second sovereign rating revision this year. DBRS had recently upgraded India to BBB status,' it added. (This is a developing story, more updates coming…)
