India’s ties with China and Russia deepen at the SCO summit as Trump’s tariff war threatens Indo-U.S. relations and pushes New Delhi toward new alliances.
By Annapurna Nautiyal
The rapidly shifting landscape of global politics makes it difficult to predict the future course of relations among nations, particularly the emerging alliance between India, China and Russia, as well as America’s long-cultivated ties with India, which have been seriously strained by President Trump’s mercurial approach and the imposition of unprecedented tariffs on a friendly democracy.
Exacerbating the situation. the White House Trade Counselor Peter Navarro opened a tirade of accusations with his lies and nonsensical statements. Three days before the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit opened at Tianjin on August 31, China, he surprised everyone by accusing Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine as “Modi’s war,” claiming that India’s continued purchase of Russian oil is fueling its war machine. And on September 1, 2025, while playing a caste card, he made a very mean statement that it is the “Brahmins” (a term used in America for elites and Anglo-Saxon families) that are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people and thus making India a “laundromat for the Kremlin.”
While praising Indian Prime Minister Modi as a great leader, he quipped as to why, being the biggest democracy in the world, Modi is getting into bed with both authoritarian leaders of Russia and China: Putin and Xi. Navarro also clarified that tariffs on India are targeted to pressurize Russia, and the sooner India stops buying Russian oil, tariffs will be lifted immediately. Navarro fired another shot by stating that it was shameful for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share a stage with the two biggest authoritarian dictators of the world. He advised Modi to be with Europe and Ukraine and stop funding Russia’s war machine, as the road to peace partly runs through New Delhi.
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On the other hand, Trump has also been claiming on his Truth social media platform that, though India has been exhibiting unity with Russian and Chinese leaders, it is also pleading for the removal of all tariffs—but the move was too late. Trump’s remarks were timed with President Putin’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi, who had praised India’s special and privileged ties with Moscow. This shows Trump is also feeling the heat of this new triangular alliance, as Trump’s attempts to isolate India are not only falling apart but the prospects of America’s isolation through such policies are becoming a reality.
The statement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the SCO meeting as “just performative” also reflects US frustration with the new possibilities of India, Russia and China standing on the same side. Modi’s visit to China and display of warmth with Putin and Xi, and his statement after the visit that a productive trip to China had concluded where he interacted with many world leaders and highlighted India’s stand on many global issues, has sent a strong message to the US that in the future SCO could emerge as an alternative to NATO.
It is a weird situation for India, as the US being India’s largest trading partner, the tariffs are likely to destroy business in various sectors and could stop India’s economic growth and dream of becoming the third-largest economy at the earliest. Kapil Komireddi, in his eye-opening article in the New York Times titled The US Wooed India for 30 Years, Trump Blew That Up in a Few Months, has shown the reality, repercussions of Trump’s policies, and how the US has lost India’s trust. The concept of security and freedom of trade in the Indo-Pacific and the claim about Indo-US ties as the most defining partnership of the 21st century have been buried under the rug.
Besides this, siding with a rogue terrorist-sponsoring state like Pakistan has also alienated India and Trump’s friend Modi. Though these tariffs are being challenged in US courts, Trump is undeterred and has emphatically said that any hurdle to revenue generation through tariffs will make the US just like a third-world country. To make matters worse, the Trump team has indicated that he might not visit India this year for QUAD’s forthcoming meeting, to which he had earlier given his acceptance. In such a scenario, India, while treading into unknown territory, has also undertaken a previously unthinkable handshake with China, a stark and cunning adversary.
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Under the shadow of such hostility and unpredictability, Indian Prime Minister Modi’s well-thought-out two-day trip to Japan before arriving in Tianjin, China, to participate in the SCO meeting in the wake of Trump’s 50 percent mindless retaliatory tariffs on India became important from many angles. Japan’s commitment to increase its investment from 5 trillion yen (target up to 2026) to 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) has not only increased India’s confidence at a time of distress and distrust, but it is also a strong signal of standing with India in times of economic crisis.
The investment will boost production of steel, automobiles, renewable energy, semiconductors, real estate, green hydrogen, and Indian SMEs’ partnerships with Japanese firms to make them partners in the global supply chain. This has strengthened Japan’s confidence in India’s economic potential. This also includes India’s drive for “Make in India” by selling products like hybrid/EV vehicles to countries like the Middle East and South East Asia, as well as understanding the need for human resources and knowledge sharing between India and Japan. India’s smart diplomatic move has brought one of the key members of QUAD, and America’s good friend Japan, closer to India. Japan is an adversary of China and opposed to China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific; therefore, the timing was also a signal to China about India’s options.
In the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s meeting, Modi and Xi Jinping not only met with warmth but also emphasized that India and China are partners, not rivals, and there should be a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the border issue. The importance of an emerging multipolar world and the role of the two countries in stabilizing world trade was also highlighted. Modi also expressed that cooperation between the two would be good for the welfare of humanity, which was endorsed by Xi by emphasizing the need for the Dragon and the Elephant to come together in a transforming world. Meeting with Putin also captured moments of warmth between the two, and the carpool in which Modi and Putin travelled together to the SCO meeting venue was considered the most important confidential conversation between them.
Modi, while highlighting the need to consider terrorism a universal threat for humanity and cautioning against selective approaches and double standards as harmful for security, peace and stability of a country, also redefined SCO. He said “S” stands for security, which includes all kinds of security, safety of borders and boundary issues. “C” means connectivity, but not at the expense of sovereignty, as it must respect territorial integrity, which should be the main charter of SCO to enable trade, trust and development. “O” stands for opportunity, which is provided by such cooperation and by removing trade barriers and stopping unfair trade practices and tariffs. In fact, India’s attempt to isolate Pakistan, which is also a member of SCO, on the terror issue also succeeded, as the SCO in its joint declaration not only condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack of May 2025 and exhibited their deepest sympathy towards the families but also endorsed that such attackers must be brought to justice.
Although Xi Jinping warmly welcomed Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which shows their close partnership, Indian reporters were happy to share how Modi and Putin ignored him. Pakistan should not be given any importance by India as it is no match for India. The SCO summit was successful, but China’s trustworthiness is yet to be seen as the boundary dispute remains unaddressed.
(The Author is former Vice Chancellor, HNB Garhwal Central University, Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttarakhand)
