By Amritbani
US President Donald Trump made his
first official visit to India from 24th-25th February. Before embarking on his
two-day visit to India, the President dashed hopes for more
cooperation on trade and tariffs,
possibilities for major defense deals and the optics for a mass
welcome at the just-constructed Motera/Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad, which
would hope to counterfeit the success of the “Howdy Modi!” event in Houston,
Texas, in September 2019.
For Trump the achievements in domestic politics – his
acquittal from impeachment thereby trying to retain his position in the
upcoming presidential election and wooing Indian-origin electorate in the US –
is one of the key factors behind this visit. For India this visit is looked at
further strengthening the growing India-US relations.At the core of Mr. Trump’s foreign policy
strategy are apprehensions about the trade deficit that the U.S. has with its
economic partners worldwide. But largely, president Trump’s inaugural visit to
India feels more like a tactic to boost personal relationships between the
world’s two largest and oldest democracies. The relationship seems to be born
from a shared sense of values, a shared economic stake in India’s
modernization, a shared (if usually unspoken) concern about China’s rise, and a
shared realization that Americans and Indians need to work together to tackle
big, overarching challenges like climate change and transnational terrorism.
This visit was particularly vital for India too as a means to forward its own
interests for promoting multilateralism.
The US is amongst the few countries in the
world with which India has a trade surplus. Although Trump himself has been
fostering" America First "policy which includes protectionism, he has
been critical at times when India has tried to protect its own
interests. He has accused India a number of times for its high tariffs and
trade deficits. India's large population make India a potential market for any
country to do business with. But it's high time for India to change this image
and negotiate to invite foreign capital that would play some role in boosting
India’s economic and employment scenario.
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