A challenging time for Indian diplomacy

Just as the US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor admitted to “minor hiccups” in India-US ties and assured that the two countries are “not that far apart right now on a (trade) deal”, one could ask how badly damaged the relationship is.

- Karan Thapar

What impact could improving relations between Washington and Beijing have on India’s relationship with America? And if India doesn't stop buying Russian oil could we see a second or, even, third phase of additional tariffs?

Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran believes “this is certainly a most challenging time for Indian diplomacy. There is no doubt that we are perhaps in a more vulnerable situation than we've been for quite some time”. Meanwhile, there have been positive exchanges between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi on social media. Parallelly, Trump is reported to have asked the European Union to impose 100% tariffs on India if Delhi persists with oil purchases from Moscow.

Let’s come to developments that could seriously impact Delhi's relationship with Washington. First, Trump continues to talk about his very good relationship with China and his friendship with Xi. He’s keen to do a deal with Beijing and he’s even talked about visiting China. The question is how far will he go? Could he sacrifice Quad for a big deal with China?