How the US Decided China Is Too Big to Bully
Despite its hefty energy purchases from Russia, Beijing has avoided the harsh penalties America has imposed on India.
Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Photographer: Anthony Kwan/AFP/Getty Images
Still smarting from President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs, Indians have come to another bitter realization: The US leader appears to be singling New Delhi out, while giving Russia’s real backers in China a free pass.
The Indian establishment, which largely welcomed Trump’s ascent to power and genuinely believed that the two were on the cusp of a mutually beneficial deal, seems somewhat shell-shocked. Few could have predicted the humiliation of being just about the only country that emerged from negotiations with higher tariffs than those it was threatened with. This has not been Indian diplomacy’s finest hour; Reuters quoted an official as saying “we lacked the diplomatic support needed after the US struck better deals with Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and the EU.”