https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/507794/feed Breaking news and analysis on US-India relations, including trade, defence and diplomacy. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports and allow fresh supplies to reach global markets could give India greater leverage in its own dispute with Washington over discounted crude purchases, analysts said. Beyond the energy dispute, they said the move could also open up diplomatic opportunities for New Delhi, from pressing for more consistent treatment by Washington to building on its efforts to help negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Under the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3370749/india-gain-trumps-russian-diesel-deal-offers-delhi-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3370749/india-gain-trumps-russian-diesel-deal-offers-delhi-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:15 +0000 Gaurav Kumar Gaurav Kumar Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi three times in the past three years. Indian pilgrims are back at Kailash, the Tibetan mountain sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. Air China has restarted flights to New Delhi. But can trust grow between two armies that meet only in a crisis? And why does the Pentagon now talk to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) more easily than India’s army does? In September, Xi made his first visit to India in nearly seven years; Beijing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370226/despite-china-india-thaw-military-relations-are-stuck-2020?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370226/despite-china-india-thaw-military-relations-are-stuck-2020?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Oct 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Fan Chen Khushboo Razdan,Fan Chen Washington and Beijing may have signed an agreement built around “reciprocity”. But a more consequential question remains unresolved: does it mean equal status for Beijing? Countries without a seat at the table are watching that ambiguity closely. The spectacle of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington – the tarmac greeting, the flyovers, the state dinner – has been interpreted less as courtesy than as a statement of rank. Some argue that China is no longer being treated as... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370028/g2-illusion-after-xi-trump-summit-china-wants-equality-while-us-seeks-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370028/g2-illusion-after-xi-trump-summit-china-wants-equality-while-us-seeks-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 02:30:06 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Thursday that there is no timeline yet for implementing the US-China Board of Trade, one of the key economic outcomes of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington last week. Speaking on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Trade Ministers’ meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Greer said the tariff reductions under the mechanism were “a policy outcome” and that the recommendations would have to go through a legal process before... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3369490/greer-says-no-specific-timeline-set-enforcing-us-china-board-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3369490/greer-says-no-specific-timeline-set-enforcing-us-china-board-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2026 22:54:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday killed an Indian sailor, Omani and Indian authorities said, with the latter condemning the ongoing attacks in the vital shipping lane. Since the start of the Middle East war, Iran has sought to impose its control over the maritime conduit for Gulf oil and gas, occasionally striking ships accused of failing to coordinate with its authorities or deviating from its preferred route. In retaliation, the US has been enforcing a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368562/indian-sailor-killed-attack-vessel-hormuz-india-and-oman-authorities-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368562/indian-sailor-killed-attack-vessel-hormuz-india-and-oman-authorities-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:20:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is caught in an energy policy bind with no easy exit. Cutting Russian oil imports to avoid potential new US tariffs could increase fuel prices ahead of key regional elections, or stress government finances. Maintaining such purchases could cripple Indian exports to its largest market. India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and among the biggest buyers of Russian crude, reacted unusually strongly on Thursday to a US congressional bill that would allow... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368081/indias-modi-caught-between-much-needed-russian-oil-and-us-trade-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368081/indias-modi-caught-between-much-needed-russian-oil-and-us-trade-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 00:46:31 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a new sanctions bill into law that targets Russia’s leading energy buyers – China and India – just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for a state visit. The White House issued a brief statement, saying that the President had “signed into law” the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which “authorises and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3368079/trump-signs-bill-targeting-chinas-russia-energy-imports-days-xis-us-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3368079/trump-signs-bill-targeting-chinas-russia-energy-imports-days-xis-us-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 22:50:05 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth China on Thursday pushed back against a new US sanctions bill targeting Russia that could also have a major impact on Beijing, a major Russian energy importer. The US Congress on Wednesday passed the bill to strengthen sanctions on Moscow by targeting Russia’s leading energy buyers – China and India – just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to arrive in Washington for a summit with President Donald Trump. “China carries out economic and trade cooperation with countries on the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3367782/us-congress-passes-bill-targeting-russias-leading-energy-buyers-china-and-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3367782/us-congress-passes-bill-targeting-russias-leading-energy-buyers-china-and-india?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:50:16 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth When Chinese President Xi Jinping met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi last week on the sidelines of the Brics summit, another country loomed large in the background, even in its absence: the United States. After the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintain peace at the disputed border and strengthen economic ties. Beijing’s readout, however, offered a pointed reminder of the US factor in India-China ties. The official Chinese statement claimed that Modi... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367644/will-transactional-america-assist-india-future-border-crisis-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367644/will-transactional-america-assist-india-future-border-crisis-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:34:26 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang,Mark Magnier,Nayan Seth Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang,Mark Magnier,Nayan Seth Chinese President Xi Jinping told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that China and India, as the world’s most populous nations and key members of the Global South, bore “significant responsibilities” in an international landscape “fraught with turbulence and change”. Xi said that although the countries had different national circumstances, “there is ample scope for us to learn from each other’s strengths, offer mutual support, achieve shared success and pursue common... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367314/xi-tells-modi-there-ample-scope-learn-each-others-strengths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367314/xi-tells-modi-there-ample-scope-learn-each-others-strengths?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2026 13:02:31 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong companies should accelerate their expansion into the Middle East, the Asean bloc and Central Asia to reduce their exposure to geopolitical risks, a lawmaker has said, as the US moved to disrupt immigrant-visa appointments worldwide. Jonathan Lamport, the representative for the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) in the Legislative Council, said the visa uncertainty reinforced the need for companies to broaden their overseas presence beyond traditional Western markets. “The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3365365/hong-kong-lawmaker-urges-firms-expand-middle-east-asean-amid-us-visa-pause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3365365/hong-kong-lawmaker-urges-firms-expand-middle-east-asean-amid-us-visa-pause?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:12:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A prominent Sikh separatist said Tuesday that the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have warned him that he faces a new credible threat to his life even as a man from India faces sentencing later this year for a 2023 death plot against him. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, said he was warned by FBI agents who visited him August 12 that he should not travel until the threat is resolved, and, if he does, the agency should be notified in advance of his... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3365257/sikh-separatist-gurpatwant-singh-pannun-says-fbi-has-warned-him-new-threat-his-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3365257/sikh-separatist-gurpatwant-singh-pannun-says-fbi-has-warned-him-new-threat-his-life?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:27:02 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan The US has proposed a new US$103,265 fee for H-1B visa petitions – a move that could ramp up the cost of hiring skilled foreign workers, with Chinese and Indian professionals particularly hard hit. It comes at a sensitive time for US-China relations, with visas already a long-running source of friction and Beijing stepping up efforts to attract global tech talent as competition intensifies between the world’s two largest economies. The US Department of Homeland Security proposed the additional... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365171/us-proposes-new-103265-h-1b-visa-fee-expanding-charge-beyond-new-arrivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365171/us-proposes-new-103265-h-1b-visa-fee-expanding-charge-beyond-new-arrivals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:00:31 +0000 Syed Munir Khasru Syed Munir Khasru South Asia is undergoing a gradual but important shift. Smaller states now command a widening array of options, and India’s primacy is quietly giving way. The lesson is clear. Regional leadership can no longer rest on geography and must be sustained through credible and mutually beneficial engagements that compare favourably with the alternatives. China’s challenge begins at India’s border. Both countries fought in 1962, continue to dispute a frontier of roughly 3,500km and had their deadliest... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3361501/india-losing-its-regional-primacy-beijing-and-washington-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3361501/india-losing-its-regional-primacy-beijing-and-washington-move?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan The United States has spent decades trying to blunt China’s strategic rise. Yet in the Middle East, sanctions and the war against Iran are now dismantling one of the few assets built to constrain Beijing’s influence in the region. The Iranian port of Chabahar has received strong backing from India, which hoped it would gain both a trade corridor into Afghanistan and Central Asia that bypassed Pakistan and a strategic counterweight to the Chinese-operated Pakistani port of Gwadar. Both Washington... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361869/how-trumps-iran-own-goal-hitting-long-term-us-strategy-contain-chinese-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361869/how-trumps-iran-own-goal-hitting-long-term-us-strategy-contain-chinese-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing mounting domestic backlash over a potential trade deal with the United States that would place India at the centre of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to redirect agricultural exports displaced by the US-China trade conflict, raising fresh questions about New Delhi’s broader strategic alignment with Washington against Beijing. Thousands of farmers from the northern state of Punjab marched towards Delhi on Tuesday to oppose what they described as a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361495/us-china-trade-war-reaches-indias-streets-modi-weighs-risks-washington-bet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361495/us-china-trade-war-reaches-indias-streets-modi-weighs-risks-washington-bet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jul 2026 04:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse New Zealand and India announced on Saturday the creation of a strategic partnership encompassing defence and security, during a landmark visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon feted his guest with an indigenous Maori welcome and a guard of honour, seeking to expand relations after signing a free-trade pact in April that he has touted as an economic boon. Modi’s visit, at the tail end of a July 6-11 tour that has also taken him to Indonesia and Australia, came in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3360224/new-zealand-india-trade-defence-pact-celebrated-despite-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3360224/new-zealand-india-trade-defence-pact-celebrated-despite-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:55:40 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar In a layered signal to Indo-Pacific nations and America’s domestic audience, the Trump administration last week said the US Indo-Pacific Command would revert to its long-used name, the US Pacific Command. The Honolulu-headquartered command was renamed in 2018 during Donald Trump’s first presidency. The administrative order by the Department of Defence was justified to honour the legacy of America’s oldest and largest unified combatant command, established in 1947. In the run-up to the 250th... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3357723/what-does-us-pacific-command-name-change-mean-china-and-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3357723/what-does-us-pacific-command-name-change-mean-china-and-india?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:30:04 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attempted to defuse escalating tensions over the recent killing of three Indian sailors by American naval forces off the coast of Oman. Speaking to the media after their first bilateral meeting in 16 months, Trump said both Washington and New Delhi continue to “work together” on the issue, calling commercial vessel operations “a rough profession”. “I heard about that,” Trump added, without offering any condolences or... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3357475/trump-shows-no-regret-over-three-indian-sailors-deaths-meeting-modi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3357475/trump-shows-no-regret-over-three-indian-sailors-deaths-meeting-modi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:31:52 +0000 Hao Nan Hao Nan The Russia-India-China (RIC) dialogue is back in the diplomatic conversation. It has not formally restarted, and no summit is on the horizon. But the signals are here. In 2025, Moscow again pushed for reviving the RIC format. India said any meeting would have to be arranged in a “mutually convenient manner”, a cautious but open formula. China said it was willing to maintain communication with Russia and India on trilateral cooperation. This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin again spoke... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3356827/dont-count-russia-india-china-triangle-out-just-yet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3356827/dont-count-russia-india-china-triangle-out-just-yet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan The images were difficult to ignore. A viral video showed the body of a 35-year-old Indian seafarer on a vessel off Oman, with crew members using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to slow the decomposition process. He had died last Thursday from medical complications, but it had not been possible to send help or evacuate him from the ship because of the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The previous day, three more Indian sailors were killed when a tanker moored nearby was bombed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3357231/can-india-react-gulf-sailors-deaths-china-did-us-after-1999-embassy-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3357231/can-india-react-gulf-sailors-deaths-china-did-us-after-1999-embassy-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jun 2026 02:58:30 +0000 Reuters Reuters Sushila Devi sat sobbing on the floor of her house in Deoria, northern India after authorities told her that her husband was one of three sailors killed in a US attack on a ship off Oman. “If he had told us about the dangers, I would have called him back,” she cried out as women from the family gathered around to console ‌her. “The government should not allow people to go there.” India on Friday took the rare step of lodging a second protest with the US over the strike that took place more than... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3356980/indians-grieve-and-demand-action-after-us-strike-kills-sailors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3356980/indians-grieve-and-demand-action-after-us-strike-kills-sailors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jun 2026 23:38:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Three Indian sailors on a commercial vessel hit by the United States off the coast of Oman are dead, New Delhi’s shipping minister said on Thursday. “It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello,” Sarbananda Sonowal said in a statement, referring to the strike on the vessel a day earlier. “Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified.” India’s foreign ministry... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3356748/3-indian-sailors-dead-after-us-attacks-commercial-vessel-oman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3356748/3-indian-sailors-dead-after-us-attacks-commercial-vessel-oman?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:54:36 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The threat by the US to impose additional tariffs on imports from India over forced labour supply-chain concerns is a “pressure” tactic deployed by Washington to drive a harder bargain in its trade talks with New Delhi, according to analysts. Following a Section 301 unfair trade practices investigation, the Trump administration proposed that products from India, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland would be subject to a 12.5 per cent levy, while a 10 per cent rate would apply to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3356049/us-wielding-new-tariff-threat-secure-big-bargain-india-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3356049/us-wielding-new-tariff-threat-secure-big-bargain-india-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:27:02 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, nations gathered in New Delhi on Tuesday in a coordinated display of unity aimed at reaffirming the bloc’s relevance amid recent shifts in geopolitical dynamics. The Quad, comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India, aims to promote a “free and open” Indo-Pacific and balance China’s expanding influence in the strategically vital region. With US President Donald Trump fresh from talks with Chinese President Xi... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3354953/quad-foreign-ministers-fight-relevance-new-delhi-leaders-summit-remains-elusive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3354953/quad-foreign-ministers-fight-relevance-new-delhi-leaders-summit-remains-elusive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 19:41:02 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India this week will give Washington an opportunity to “get the optics right” regarding ties between the two sides, amid friction over unresolved trade issues and broader international cooperation. Rubio stressed cooperation on trade, energy, defence and maritime security in meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday as he arrived in New Delhi. Jaishankar said that the two... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3354866/rubio-looks-repair-lens-us-india-ties-amid-quad-talks-energy-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3354866/rubio-looks-repair-lens-us-india-ties-amid-quad-talks-energy-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 06:11:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called India a natural partner and invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, turning the page at least rhetorically on friction despite new-found US warmth towards China. One week after joining US President Donald Trump on a state visit to Beijing, Rubio – visiting both Asian powers for the first time – flew to New Delhi and met Modi for more than an hour, inviting the premier to visit the White House soon. “The world’s oldest democracy in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3354649/rubio-renews-us-ties-india-after-trumps-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3354649/rubio-renews-us-ties-india-after-trumps-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 16:51:04 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Perhaps the most fascinating and important aspects of US President Donald Trump’s jolt to the global economy have been its unintended consequences, especially the impact on relations between China and India. Two consistent aspects of Trump’s meandering narrative are to “make America great again” by bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, and to hobble China as an economic and strategic threat. A decade later, there has been negligible progress on either objective. Instead, the unintended... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354474/india-and-china-are-cautiously-getting-closer-thanks-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354474/india-and-china-are-cautiously-getting-closer-thanks-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:30:06 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Quad summit plan turns uneasy as India pushes ahead without top leaders: sources A stretch of awkward diplomacy was unfolding in the Indo-Pacific in April: New Delhi was planning to host a foreign ministers’ meeting that could have been framed as a leaders-level discussion, even if the top... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351918/awkward-india-diplomacy-us-nato-crisis-strait-hormuz-woes-7-global-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351918/awkward-india-diplomacy-us-nato-crisis-strait-hormuz-woes-7-global-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Li Xing Li Xing Geopolitics, at its core, examines how geography shapes international politics, power distribution and security dynamics. One enduring idea is geographer Halford Mackinder’s “heartland” theory, which situates Eurasia as the central arena of global power competition. In 1904, Mackinder argued that the vast land mass of Europe and Asia – what he called the “world island” – contained a pivotal core, the “heartland”, rich in resources, population and strategic depth. His dictum – “Who rules Eastern... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3351015/why-us-led-security-alliances-asia-are-losing-coherence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3351015/why-us-led-security-alliances-asia-are-losing-coherence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump reposted a video and comments from a conservative pundit calling India a “hellhole”, prompting the South Asian country on Thursday to criticise the remarks as “inappropriate”. The comments come ahead of a planned visit next month to India by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who would seek to turn the page on recent tensions between the normally friendly powers. Trump late on Wednesday reposted on social media a video and a screed apparently written by someone else... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351218/china-or-india-or-some-other-hellhole-trump-reposts-anti-immigrant-rant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351218/china-or-india-or-some-other-hellhole-trump-reposts-anti-immigrant-rant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:07:44 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The US will not give India the same kind of economic advantages it gave China, which allowed that country to emerge as a major competitor, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on Thursday, signalling Washington’s cautiousness in negotiations over a trade deal. While the US wants to work with India to unlock its “limitless potential,” India should understand that “we are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago”, Landau said at the Raisina... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345629/us-wont-let-india-become-rival-china-trump-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345629/us-wont-let-india-become-rival-china-trump-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:18:28 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The White House revised its fact sheet on the US-India trade agreement to adjust language around agricultural goods, adding to confusion about the deal already raised by farmer groups. In a revised statement, the US removed a reference to pulses – a staple food in India that includes lentils and chickpeas – and changed some phrasing around India’s offer to buy more American goods. An earlier version on Monday released by the White House said India would “eliminate or reduce tariffs” on a wide... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343201/trumps-white-house-revises-india-trade-deal-sparking-confusion-over-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343201/trumps-white-house-revises-india-trade-deal-sparking-confusion-over-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:42:40 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma India and China opened a new round of strategic dialogue as US tariffs on their exports spur the two Asian giants to broaden global trade ties and move beyond past disputes. Both countries “uphold the strategic perception that China and India are cooperative partners instead of rivals”, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement after Tuesday’s meeting in New Delhi between Executive Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. “China and India should deepen mutual... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/article/3343183/china-india-find-common-cause-push-multipolar-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/article/3343183/china-india-find-common-cause-push-multipolar-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:07:47 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg India’s imports of Russian oil could almost halve from already weaker recent levels, according to people with direct knowledge of the purchases, after US President Donald Trump issued an order detailing some terms of a trade deal between the two nations. All state-owned and private refiners, with the exception of Nayara Energy Ltd, had paused buying any spot cargoes since Trump first mentioned the deal in a social media post about a week ago, according to the people, who asked not to be named... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342959/indias-oil-imports-russia-snared-trump-order-tariff-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342959/indias-oil-imports-russia-snared-trump-order-tariff-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:16:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hailed an interim trade agreement with the United States, saying it would bolster global growth and deepen economic ties between the two countries. The pact cuts US “reciprocal” duties on Indian products to 18 per cent from 25 per cent, and commits India to large purchases of US energy and industrial goods. US President Donald Trump, while announcing the deal Tuesday, had said Modi promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342753/indias-modi-hails-great-news-after-us-slashes-tariffs-part-new-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342753/indias-modi-hails-great-news-after-us-slashes-tariffs-part-new-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 06:47:27 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar For the India-China-US triangle, the new US-India trade deal, announced with Trumpian flourish on social media on Monday, has potentially significant economic, geopolitical and strategic implications. US President Donald Trump’s post, which came after a phone call with Narendra Modi, said the Indian prime minister had committed to “BUY AMERICAN”, including over US$500 billion of US products. It also said Modi had “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342263/why-new-us-india-trade-agreement-big-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342263/why-new-us-india-trade-agreement-big-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Fan Chen,Shi Jiangtao,Cao Jiaxuan Fan Chen,Shi Jiangtao,Cao Jiaxuan In the deepening shadow of US-China rivalry, India’s back-to-back trade pacts with the United States and the European Union mark a major tilt towards stronger economic ties with the West. While critical details – especially the scope of any reduction in Russian energy imports under the vague US agreement – remain unclear, experts predict the twin deals will give India leverage in its relationship with China and may slow the fragile thaw between New Delhi and Beijing. Meanwhile, New Delhi is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342600/could-indias-twin-trade-agreements-set-back-its-improving-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342600/could-indias-twin-trade-agreements-set-back-its-improving-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:00:17 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A trade deal reached between India and the United States could lead to closer geopolitical alignment between the two countries and bring New Delhi a step closer to becoming a leading manufacturing hub. But observers are sceptical that New Delhi may stop buying Russian crude oil, and whether the volume of American exports to India may surge in a short span of time. On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he would reduce the US tariff on Indian imports to 18 per cent from 25 per cent and remove... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3342233/why-india-may-gravitate-back-us-bloc-after-tariff-deal-two-way-trade-set-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3342233/why-india-may-gravitate-back-us-bloc-after-tariff-deal-two-way-trade-set-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:00:31 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan After more than a year of haggling, US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a major trade deal between Washington and New Delhi that significantly de-escalates economic tensions between the two nations. A White House official confirmed to the South China Morning Post that the deal will remove the 25 per cent punitive Russia oil tariffs. Trump in a social media post earlier said that he held a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He [Modi] agreed to stop buying Russian Oil,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3342155/trump-lifts-russia-related-oil-tariffs-india-under-new-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3342155/trump-lifts-russia-related-oil-tariffs-india-under-new-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:00:12 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The world’s largest retail show held last week in New York saw a mood of measured optimism amid the bustle, cheap swag and canned smiles – a sense that the worst of last year’s tariff turmoil was over and that Chinese goods would continue to fill Walmart and Costco, even if they had to travel through a third country. “I feel more optimistic for this year,” said Teagan Pollard, an IT expert with TP Industries, which sells vaping equipment from China. “The economy and tariffs have been rough. But... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3340995/americas-biggest-retail-show-china-question-never-really-goes-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3340995/americas-biggest-retail-show-china-question-never-really-goes-away?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:00:14 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The United States is likely to lose its clear edge over China in strategic relations with major nations by 2035, a prominent Chinese political scientist has predicted. Yan Xuetong, honorary dean of Tsinghua University’s Institute of International Relations, said strategic competition between Beijing and Washington was likely to remain intense in the coming decade and could escalate into a crisis during US President Donald Trump’s second term, but the risk of direct war could decline under... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340468/how-narrowing-china-us-gap-could-reshape-global-power-play-2035?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340468/how-narrowing-china-us-gap-could-reshape-global-power-play-2035?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:30:44 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s backing for a Senate bill that would allow tariffs of up to 500 per cent on goods from countries buying Russian oil has raised the prospect of a near-freeze in trade between India and its largest export market, as New Delhi continues to absorb steep US duties imposed last year. Trump last week gave the green light to the proposal, which targets any country that continues to buy Russian oil, petroleum products or uranium, a move seen as part of Washington’s effort to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3339920/trumps-500-tariff-push-raises-risk-india-us-trade-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3339920/trumps-500-tariff-push-raises-risk-india-us-trade-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:00:18 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji For thousands of India’s technology professionals working in the United States, the Christmas break ended not with a smooth return to the office but with a bureaucratic cliffhanger. Routine H‑1B visa renewals at US consular posts across India were abruptly pushed back as Washington ratcheted up its vetting of applicants’ online activity. Interviews that many had expected to sail through were suddenly rescheduled for months later, leaving engineers stranded, projects disrupted and employers... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3339416/next-appointment-2027-us-visa-squeeze-hits-indias-tech-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3339416/next-appointment-2027-us-visa-squeeze-hits-indias-tech-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 03:00:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Indian exporters of products ranging from home decor to leather shoes are worried about missing the US summer shopping season if they are unable to lock in orders in January as trade deal talks drag on between New Delhi and Washington. This will be the decisive month for sealing the trade pact so contracts can be secured for the first half of 2026, according to half a dozen local exporters. The punitive 50 per cent US tariffs since August already hurt the exporters’ order volumes in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3338980/indian-exporters-fear-washout-us-orders-elusive-trade-deal-prolongs-tariff-pain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3338980/indian-exporters-fear-washout-us-orders-elusive-trade-deal-prolongs-tariff-pain?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 02:18:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Agence France-Presse,Associated Press A US federal judge on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump’s US$100,000 fee to process H-1B visa applications, while also acknowledging it could “inflict significant harm on American businesses and institutions of higher education”. In a 56-page opinion, US District Judge Beryl Howell wrote that the president has “broad statutory authority” to address “a problem he perceives to be a matter of economic and national security”. The US$100,000 application fee announced in September gave companies... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337657/trumps-us100000-h-1b-visa-fee-upheld-judge-lottery-system-ends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337657/trumps-us100000-h-1b-visa-fee-upheld-judge-lottery-system-ends?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 12:42:33 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The United States and Pakistan are reviving defence and minerals cooperation in a bid to reset their uneasy ties, marking a policy shift that has stirred anxiety in India even as Washington seeks to reassure New Delhi. Washington has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades for Pakistan’s ageing F-16 fighter jets and opened the door to more than US$1 billion in financing for US companies involved in critical minerals projects in the South Asian nation. These moves mark the most... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3336526/india-wary-us-backs-pakistan-f-16-upgrades-and-mineral-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3336526/india-wary-us-backs-pakistan-f-16-upgrades-and-mineral-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 03:00:11 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Despite a high-level phone call between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 2025 is likely to end without the long-promised US-India trade deal, as the “America first” leader continues to stall the agreement while working to cement improved ties with Beijing. The call came just days after Modi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the Indian Prime Minister described his conversation with Trump as “warm and engaging” in a social media post,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336135/trump-and-modi-have-warm-phone-call-2025-unlikely-end-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336135/trump-and-modi-have-warm-phone-call-2025-unlikely-end-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 23:00:52 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day state visit to New Delhi last week, for the 23rd Russia-India Summit, was heavy on optics, symbolism and multilayered signals, while tangible outcomes were relatively modest. First and foremost, Putin signalled to the West that Russia is not isolated, despite the US-led criticism of the war his government has unleashed against Ukraine since 2022. In an unusual departure from customary diplomatic practice, three European ambassadors to India – from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335866/putins-visit-india-reveals-anxieties-changing-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335866/putins-visit-india-reveals-anxieties-changing-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A plunge in the value of the Indian rupee to record lows over the past week, making it Asia’s worst-performing currency, could be a mixed blessing for the South Asian economy as it pushes to finalise a trade deal with the United States, observers say. The rupee depreciated beyond 90 to the US dollar this week, deepening a slide that began last week. While the currency’s weakness is driving up the cost of essentials such as oil imports and overseas tuition, it has also brought some short-term... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3336033/why-indias-currency-slide-creating-us-tariff-relief-exporters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3336033/why-indias-currency-slide-creating-us-tariff-relief-exporters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:30:13 +0000