August 12, 2025

Hold on tight! US President Donald Trump has thrown a spicy twist into the Indo-Pacific story, making Beijing smile quietly. In less than 200 days, Trump has nearly undone a key foreign policy from his first term — the fragile coalition that keeps a check on China. The big question: why hurt two major allies, India and Japan, with heavy tariffs and sharp warnings? The answer seems more about scoring political points at home rather than clear strategy. This mess is no small issue. It threatens the Quad, the powerful four-way military team of the US, Japan, India, and Australia, which was revived in 2017 to balance Beijing’s power. The situation now looks shakier than ever! Authoritarian leaders around the world are watching and thinking the US might be losing its global edge. Since April, Trump slapped a 25% "reciprocal tariff" on India, and even threatened another 25% tariff plus secondary sanctions because India keeps buying oil from Russia. That’s like doubling the duties and stiffening the pinch! Trump proudly said on Monday that these high tariffs were a “big blow” to Russia’s struggling economy. But the real fallout was huge damage to US-India friendship — the worst since 1998 when India’s nuclear tests made the world angry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was a deft player in dealing with Trump during his first term and even visited the White House early on this time, was clearly shocked. Even more worrying? Trump seemed to cozy up to Pakistan, India’s long-time rival. Will these tangled moves cause a permanent crack in one of the most important partnerships in the Indo-Pacific? Stay tuned!

Read More at News →

Tags: Donald trump, India-us relations, Quad alliance, Tariffs, Indo-pacific, China,