Tariff tantrums and geopolitical turbulence: Shifting India-China ties

The US was already losing its economic heft to China, even with respect to its treaty allies and partners in Asia

The US, under President Donald Trump, has declared a new Liberation Day on April 2, when he imposed a slew of “reciprocal” tariffs on all US trade partners. While these tariffs and their economic and commercial impacts on the US and the global economy are being examined threadbare, the geopolitical consequences of the underlying thinking behind this latest US move deserve closer scrutiny.

 

Mr Trump’s “tariff tantrum” risks decoupling the US from the rest of the world, making it a diminished power and creating spaces in the geopolitical landscape for other substantial powers to expand their agency and influence. Make