Trump-Xi meeting could test India’s positioning as China counterweight
Hello, this is Priyanka Salve, writing to you from Singapore.
Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside India“ — your one-stop destination for stories and developments from the world’s fastest-growing large economy.
For more than two decades, consecutive U.S. administrations have seen India as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. But the current U.S administration’s stances seem to favour Beijing while punishing India. This week, I unpack how the U.S.-China summit could impact New Delhi’s equation with Washington.
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The big story
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they depart following a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025 in Busan, South Korea.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images
India, whose significance to the U.S. foreign policy has been shaped by frictions between Washington and Beijing, will be keeping a close eye on the meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
When the summit between the world’s top two economies begins later in the day, India will be hoping that Trump’s softening stance toward China does not lead to a bargain that diminishes New Delhi’s role in the Indo-Pacific, experts said.
If Trump prioritizes a bilateral grand bargain with Beijing, India will have “reasonable concerns that the United States will treat China as the central negotiating partner in Asia rather than as the central strategic challenge,” Ronak D. Desai, visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, told CNBC.
Therefore, “India will need to make its strategic value harder to overlook,” Desai said, adding this would mean the U.S.-India relationship must lead to more tangible outcomes in sectors like defense, maritime security, critical minerals, energy, and manufacturing.
Trump and Xi last met in Busan, South Korea, in November, where the U.S. president called Xi “a very tough negotiator,” and said that the two sides had “always had a very good relationship.” Meanwhile, Xi urges Beijing and Washington to be “partners and friends.” It was during this meeting that Trump also referred to China and the U.S. as G2.
“He [Trump] favors strong-armed leaders,” Nirupama Rao, former Indian ambassador to the U.S., China, and Sri Lanka, told CNBC’s “Inside India” on Monday, hinting at Trump’s conciliatory stance toward Xi in the recent past.
Shift in U.S. foreign policy
For more than two decades, consecutive U.S. administrations have deepened ties with India as a measure to counterbalance China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. India, being the world’s largest democracy, as opposed to China’s one-party government, is seen as a natural partner to the U.S., experts said.
“It was Trump who, in his first term, had challenged America’s China policy and even gave impetus to QUAD,” said Harsh Pant, vice president of studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research…
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