US elections: Trump or Harris, what a new US President will mean for India

Whether Trump wins oregon Harris, the Indian authorities volition person a acceptable of positives and immoderate negatives to contend with.

The China situation for US, India

After decades of being ambiguous astir however to woody with China’s emergence — including erstwhile President Barack Obama’s “strategic Asia Pacific pivot” to restrain Beijing — the US medication nether Donald Trump framed China arsenic a “threat” and a strategical rival for the archetypal time. No US President earlier him had explicitly framed Beijing arsenic a strategical threat.

India, which shares astir 3,488 kms of disputed borderline with China, has borne the brunt of Beijing’s strong-arm tactics for the past six decades, particularly aft the 1962 warfare and much precocious with the borderline standoff.

A Trump win, therefore, is expected to springiness a fillip to Trump 1.0’s argumentation of confronting China’s assertive behaviour and forming a conjugation of like-minded countries — similar the Quad grouping, which was formed erstwhile Trump was successful bureau successful 2017.

A Kamala Harris triumph is expected to transportation connected with the Joe Biden medication policy. Biden, wrong a fewer months of assuming bureau successful 2020, elevated the Quad grouping to a leaders’ level format. However, past year, Biden besides said that the US was not looking to “decouple” from China, but “de-risk and diversify our narration with China.”

Immigration

Immigration has been a governmental hot-button contented successful the US Presidential campaign, rising successful transportation steadily since the archetypal Trump presidency. Trump 2.0 is expected to treble down connected the committedness to ace down connected amerciable migration to the US.

And portion the Trump run portrays Harris arsenic allowing hordes of migrants to transverse the US borders illegally, she herself has spoken rather powerfully against amerciable immigration. In the past 1 year, the US has sent backmost astir 1,100 amerciable immigrants from India.

New Delhi has maintained that they bash not enactment amerciable migration from India. But domestically, if plane-loads of Indians commencement coming backmost from the US, it volition airs a situation of optics for the Indian government.

Tariffs

Trump has been rather vocal against India placing precocious tariffs connected American products. He had openly asked India to trim tariffs connected Harley Davidson bikes.

A Trump 2.0, with Vance arsenic the VP, is expected to propulsion for an America-first strategy that volition penalise countries that enactment precocious taxes connected American products and services. While a large interaction volition beryllium connected China, India volition beryllium a casualty too, and Delhi volition request each the negotiating skills to maneuver done a imaginable diplomatic landmine.

Harris’ run has fixed small details astir their approach, but the Biden medication had mostly continued with tariffs enactment successful spot nether Trump and announced caller ones connected “strategic sectors” specified arsenic semiconductors and electrical vehicles.

Human rights

Trump has been non-commentative astir the quality rights grounds successful India oregon elsewhere, thing viewed with appreciation successful India.

After the abrogation of Article 370 successful Jammu and Kashmir oregon the Pulwama panic attacks, Trump had taken a precise “right to self-defence” approach, overmuch to New Delhi’s relief.

However, Harris — much vocal astir ideology and quality rights — had told Prime Minister Narendra Modi successful 2021 that “it is imperative that we support antiauthoritarian principles and institutions wrong our respective countries.” This was seen by galore arsenic a gentle nudge by Harris connected the contented of democracy, a taxable person to the bosom of the Democratic constitution than the Trump administration.