India now incurs higher U.S. tariffs than China. What does it say about Trump's foreign policy?

De-escalation successful tensions betwixt China and the U.S. aft their leaders met successful South Korea past Thursday stands successful stark opposition to the chill successful Washington-New Delhi relations, with India present taxable to higher U.S. tariffs than Beijing.

Experts said that the strategical narration betwixt India and U.S. built implicit 2 decades has substantially eroded.

Atman Trivedi a spouse and pb of the South Asia Practice astatine DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group said trust between the 2 countries "could instrumentality years rebuild."

Steep tariffs, $100,000 interest for H1B visas, and U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated claims of having brokered a ceasefire betwixt India and Pakistan are among issues that person led to deterioration of ties betwixt New Delhi and Washington successful caller months, according to experts.

"President Trump evidently does not worth India arsenic a spouse successful balancing China arsenic overmuch arsenic the erstwhile presidents," said Raymond Vickery Jr., elder subordinate and seat connected India and emerging Asia Economics astatine Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The U.S. overseas argumentation from President Bill Clinton until recently, including Trump's archetypal word arsenic the president, had consistently valued "democratic India implicit autocratic China," helium said, adding that the attack toward India has present shifted from 1 of strategical altruism to "transactionalism."

Meanwhile, ties betwixt the U.S. and China look to beryllium connected the mend.

In a station connected Truth Social connected Saturday, Trump said "My G2 gathering President Xi of China was a large 1 for some of our countries" adding that it would pb to "everlasting bid and success."  

Shortly after, Pete Hegseth, U.S. caput of defense, said connected X that China and the U.S. had agreed to acceptable up "miliary-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate" immoderate problems.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a commercialized truce successful a high-stakes gathering successful South Korea connected Thursday which saw Washington cutting tariffs connected Beijing related to fentanyl to 10% from 20%, reducing the wide complaint connected Chinese goods to astir 47%.

China present pays a little tariff than India.

In August the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs connected India including secondary duties of 25% for its acquisition of Russian oil. India has called the determination "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," portion has called U.S. commercialized ties with India "a wholly one-sided disaster!"

"At the leader-level, the chemistry is missing for now, and the interaction of this disconnect connected the U.S.-India narration astir apt cannot beryllium overstated," Trivedi added.

During his Asia travel past week, portion addressing firm leaders astatine Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation acme successful South Korea, Trump said helium threatened India and Pakistan with 250% tariffs unless they stopped hostilities.

An attack by militants successful the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir successful April killed 26 civilians. India accused Pakistan and launched a subject strike, resulting successful a four-day conflict that threatened to detonate into a broader warfare fueled by decades of tensions betwixt the 2 countries.

"The strategical narration betwixt India and the U.S. has been nether strain this twelvemonth not conscionable due to the fact that of tariffs, but besides due to the fact that of Washington's posture successful the struggle with Pakistan and the evident warming of [U.S.] ties with Pakistan's military," said Alexandra Hermann, caput of Southeast Asia Research astatine Oxford Economics.

Trump's claims are being picked up by Modi's governmental opponents including the person of absorption Rahul Gandhi. Modi is "scared" of U.S. President Donald Trump, Gandhi reportedly said connected Sunday successful a governmental rally successful Bihar.

Hermann added that present the situation for India would beryllium to find its presumption betwixt 2 economical superpowers.

"While New Delhi stands to payment from greater entree to U.S. demand, its dependence connected China is improbable to diminish successful the adjacent word fixed the still-extreme uncertainty astir commercialized argumentation and the costs of relocating proviso chains," she said.

Keeping speech strained commercialized ties, U.S. and India connected Friday signed a 10-year "Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership."

Hegseth said connected X that the 2 countries were improving "coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation," portion his Indian antagonistic Rajnath Singh said the concern betwixt U.S. and India was "critical for ensuring a free, unfastened and rules-based Indo-Pacific region."

Experts pass if U.S. sticks with its transactional attack toward India, it volition thrust the 2 further apart, compromising strategical interests of both.

"The Trump argumentation volition propulsion India further toward Russia, the Global South, and adjacent China. This volition not beryllium successful the interests of either India oregon the US," said Vickery Jr. from CSIS.