Golden opportunity for India: Zakaria on Trump pledge to hike tariff on imports from China

He was successful speech with Anant Goenka, Executive Director of The Indian Express Group, and Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor of The Indian Express.

On being asked however Trump’s speech astir 10 per cent tariffs for each US imports volition play retired successful India and with the India-US narration going forward, Zakaria said, “There is simply a aureate accidental present for India. Trump has acceptable 10 per cent tariffs crossed the board, 60 per cent connected China. My conjecture is the portion helium truly means is, you know, don’t interest astir the numbers, that China volition beryllium peculiarly deed hard by tariffs, but everybody other volition look them.”

“If you cognize Trump, you person to presume that this is simply a bargaining position,” helium said. “This is simply a benignant of opening salvo. And truthful what India could bash is effort to negociate a bilateral commercialized woody with Trump. And it’s a aureate accidental due to the fact that you tin make a overmuch greater consciousness of regularity, you tin make a corridor for US-India trade, and if India has to, arsenic a result, trim immoderate of its tariffs, this is precise bully for the Indian economy.”

Calling India “the astir protectionist ample system successful the world”, Zakaria said, “Most of the protectionism India has successful spot is wholly due to the fact that ample Indian companies, conglomerates and industries, bash not privation competition.” If the Trump menace forces India to unfastened up immoderate of its markets, and successful return, it gets immoderate greater entree to US technology, that could beryllium a precise important triumph for India, helium said.

“I deliberation the property of multilateral commercialized is over. What you are going to person is these bilateral commercialized deals, and India could beryllium positioned to bash a bully one,” helium said. “And if India is competing for the US marketplace against a China that has 60 per cent tariffs, it’s going to beryllium successful a amended position.”

On being asked astir India’s multi-aligned overseas policy, wherever it has the quality to align itself oregon bash concern with whomever it wants without incurring the benignant of punishments (sanctions) that would usually travel with that, Zakaria said this is simply a mistake and that India volition summation much by not playing footsie to everyone and should, successful fact, align itself with the forces of ideology and liberalism.

“The Americans person been precise knowing of India’s overseas policy. From a strategic, governmental and motivation constituent of view, India volition summation overmuch much for itself by aligning itself firmly with the forces of democracy, liberalism and openness, due to the fact that the lone mode India is going to turn economically is if it has a precise adjacent narration with the astir precocious centres of economics and exertion successful the world, and those are successful the West, and it has a earthy affinity and a transportation to them,” helium said.

India, helium said, has a agelong mode to go, considering it has $2,700 per capita GDP, compared to the United States, which is astatine $65,000. “India has nary of the benignant of exertion companies that China has, fto unsocial the US. India needs to determination up the exertion and acquisition frontier, and find a mode to collaborate successful the caller planetary proviso chains. All of that is overmuch much apt to hap with the West. You deliberation the Chinese are going to fto the Indians integrate into a Chinese planetary proviso chain? It’s ne'er going to happen.”

“The Russians don’t person a high-tech planetary proviso chain. So from a wholly self-interested constituent of view, India should halt playing footsie with everyone, and alternatively accidental proudly and loudly, we are a democracy, we are portion of an unfastened world, we privation a satellite of openness, stability. We judge successful the values and norms that specify this world, and it volition summation economically and politically,” helium said.

However, adjacent arsenic helium conceded that China whitethorn beryllium the strategical glue for the Indo-US relationship, helium said that determination is besides a value-based glue, and that India and America stock heavy values.

“India is the astir pro-American state successful the world. If you look astatine sentiment polls, 75 per cent of Indians person a favourable content of America. That’s higher present than adjacent Israel and Poland, which were the different two. Every Indian is trying to get a visa to spell to an American college; there’s cipher lining up to spell to Beijing and Moscow,” helium said.

He said Trump has ever had “a favourable cognition towards India… a favourable cognition towards the BJP and towards Modi. So they are successful a bully presumption astatine aggregate levels, helium volition property them connected trade”.

New York-based Zakaria, who has antecedently been a impermanent astatine Express e.Adda successful January 2021, is the writer of Age of Revolutions (2024), Ten Lessons For a Post-Pandemic World (2020), The Post-American World (2008) and The Future of Freedom (2007) among different books that blend world rigour and journalistic immediacy.

Since its debut successful 2008, his play amusement Fareed Zakaria GPS has featured interviews with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.

On being asked astir the astir important question helium would enactment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi if helium got him arsenic a impermanent connected his show, Zakaria said, it would be: “What is the champion mode to fortify and fto flourish India’s profoundly pluralistic nature, the information that it is simply a state composed of truthful galore castes, tribes, religions, ethnicities, languages? Is helium pursuing policies that truly let that pluralism to flourish?”