A WAKE-UP CALL FOR NEW DELHI
Many experts described the past year as a wake-up call for India.
“We want to hold our ground, but at the same time, we don’t want to actually trigger a confrontation with the US,” said Shankar.
“So I think somewhere we have to find a balance and find ways to signal that we have lived without the US in the past.”
Some see that signal in India’s renewed diplomatic outreach beyond Washington.
In December, New Delhi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for a two-day state visit, and is also pushing ahead with efforts to finalise a long-awaited trade agreement with the European Union.
At the same time, it has sought to ease tensions with Canada, putting a recent diplomatic spat on the backburner ahead of a planned visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later this year.
Observers say these moves suggest a recalibration of India’s foreign policy, aimed at preserving old alliances and forging new ones in the face of America’s trade war.
Source: CNA
