WASHINGTON, April 18. /TASS/. US duties are pushing India to restore ties with its longtime adversary China, with whom New Delhi is at loggerheads over an unmarked Himalayan border, the Washington Post reported citing analysts.
"It gives us more room for strategic maneuverability and flexibility in dealing with the US administration, rather than getting boxed into a corner," said Pankaj Saran, a former deputy national security adviser. "We want to restore peace in the region, and the calculation is that this might be a good time to do it."
Other analysts believe that New Delhi sees its rapprochement with Beijing as an opportunity to get even with US President Donald Trump, who unexpectedly concluded a trade agreement with China in his first term.
Improving relations with China expands India's diplomatic breadth, but, experts say, does not signal any fundamental shift in the two countries' opposing positions on key issues.
The absence of a demarcated border between India and China in the Himalayas (the countries are separated by a line of actual control) has been a source of tension for decades. Relations between Beijing and New Delhi soured in May 2020 following a military standoff between the two countries’ militaries in Eastern Ladakh. After negotiations at the military and diplomatic levels, India and China gradually began a mutual withdrawal of troops from the disputed areas on the border.
On April 2, Trump announced the introduction of customs duties on products from 185 countries and territories. Universal tariffs of 10% came into force on April 5, individual tariffs - on April 9. Russia is not on the list, but India got a tariff of 26%.
On April 9, Trump said that he would suspend tariff increases for 75 countries that had shown willingness to negotiate for 90 days, and import tariffs of 10% would apply to them. The American leader said he was open to discussing the size of duties.