When Marco Rubio, the newly united US Foreign Minister, recorded the Indian Foreign Minister for a photo surgery last Tuesday, the symbolism was clear.
Before Rubios of the very first bilateral meeting occurred at his first office meeting, which indicates that the diplomatic relationship between the USA and India has a top priority for both sides.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s seat was even more striking in the front row of Donald Trump’s intimate inauguration last week, which was moved inside because of the cold weather in Washington.
“The special representative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is of course very well treated,” said Jaishankar, the Indian Foreign Minister, with a smile at a press conference on Thursday when he was asked about his seat.
After his meeting in DC, he also said that it was “very clear” that the Trump government “prioritized the bilateral relationship with India”.
The Indian officials have been preparing for the new US administration for months, and despite obvious frictional points such as immigration and trade, the view of Neu -Delhi was carefully optimistic.
But Trump’s threat to act hard against illegal immigration and force mass shifts causes uncertainty with high potential for political effects in India.
The country is one of the top sources for immigrants without papers to the United States. After The latest estimates of the PEW Research Center725,000 Indians illegally live in the United States and present immigrants from India on the list behind Mexico and El Salvador.
On Monday, Trump spoke to India’s Prime Minister in what the White House described as a “productive” call, and the President later said reporters that India would “do the right thing” when it comes to illegally withdrawing in the USA
Rosemary Barton, the chief correspondent of CBC, talks to the former acting US secretary, Chad Wolf, about President Donald Trump’s deportation plan and the securing of the Canada-US limit.
According to analysts, Indian civil servants successfully have a tricky week after in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in -In-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in -In-in-in immigration, in which Trump not only signed a flood of executive orders that focused on illegal immigration, but also threaten steep tariffs.
“I am impressed by how well India played his hand in my opinion,” said Milan Vaishnav, director of the Southasia program at DC-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“They do and say the right things when this president is affected,” said Vaishnav and called the Indian government’s approach “proactive”.
He pointed out that India will live 18,000 Indians in the United States illegally to calm Trump with sources Tell Bloomberg That Neu -Delhi wants to show the willingness to work with the new government to avoid a trade war.
The Indian government has not confirmed these exact figures, but the officials repeatedly said that the country was open to the return of immigrants without papers as soon as reviews were made.
“We are against illegal immigration,” said Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We have a continuous dialogue in this matter with the United States,” he said. “And the idea behind it is to create more ways for legal migration.”
Many Indians enter the United States legally, but after the end of their visa they exceed while others illegally exceed the border from Canada or Mexico.
I’m trying to get to his good side “
There are also media reports in which the modes are considering other measures to appease the new president, from importing more US products from Republican red or swing countries to reducing tariffs for articles such as bourbon and pecans.
Trump has long seen the high import taxes and protectionist strips of India as problematic, and all new tariffs could paralyze the growing economy of the South Asian country.
“I don’t think the mood in Delhi is to participate in a tit-for-date exchange (in retail),” said Vaishnav. “You have the feeling that you try to get concessions quickly gained through some minors, you can try to get your good side.”
Modi also has a close personal connection with Trump, With the Indian Prime Minister, “my dear friend” called him How he congratulated the new president to be sworn in for a second term.
Trump confirmed India’s prime minister at some point in February.
An important goal for India is to protect the status of the H1B visa for qualified migrants to the United States, which is generally used for those in technology or engineering, and an important way for many Indian employees who are looking for better options.
There is currently a heated debate among the various groups of Trump’s party on this topic, with some hard nationalist republicans taking the visas for qualified workers from the Americans good jobs.
The China factor
Another concern for India is how much Trump’s agenda in China could change.
Combating Chinese aggression is the main reason why the ties in India and the American connections have recessed in recent years, and the management of bidies undertook significant efforts to promote the relationship. Also allegations of An attempt out on American soilAnd a subsequent legal proceedings have not hindered the closer relationship between the two countries.
In a sign that this proximity is continued under the new president, Rubio brought together the Foreign Minister of informal diplomatic alliance – the USA, India, Japan and Australia – on his first day of office. The quad has become more important in recent years to block Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The fact that the meeting took place so quickly was viewed by Jaishankar as a victory, the reporter said that he had the “strong sense” that the Trump administration would continue to take over the quad and strengthen its activities, which is also something New -Delhi would like to do.
Another plus for India is that the majority of Trump’s team, including Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, is known as “either India-friendly or passionate China-Hawks-Als landscape fertile for further progress, is known for further progress,” wrote Seema Sirohi, journalist and author of Friends with advantages: India-USA history.
According to Sirohi, the relationship between India and the USA “has entered a comfortable space in which roadblocks are mainly due to some things”.
However, the Indian political decision -makers are still afraid of Trump’s unpredictability and whether his admiration of strong men – who extends to both modes and China’s XI Jinping – to make the US President try to approach China.
“They don’t seem to be so nervous towards Trump. They are much more nervous towards someone like Elon Musk who has massive business interests in China and also seems to have the president’s ear,” said Vaishnav.
“I think that sends Schauer in India to the spine of diplomats.”
Neu -Delhi played nervous anticipation in the months before Trump’s inauguration, with Jaishankar and other civil servants pointing out that they were confident of navigating the complexity of the new administration.
Shortly after the election last autumn, Jaishankar told reporters: “I know that today many countries are nervous opposite the USA. Let’s be honest: We are not one of them.”
Vaishnav said that part of it is about superconscious, he believes that Indian officials adhere to the fact that India is not on Trump’s list of so -called “problem countries”.
“There is a feeling that this is not an administration that is switched on to give India a lesson,” he said. “And I think that is currently giving a certain comfort (Indian political decision -makers).”
