Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 4: Even as the US President Donald Trump’s outbursts against India continued, the Western Media is feeling concerned over his uncalled for tariff war pushing India into the Russia-China camp.
A photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, has set the ball rolling for what the “new world order” – the one dominated and determined by Asia – may look like.
Captured smiling and exchanging pleasantries at the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin in China, the leaders represented the countries at the receiving end of US President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs. The photographs have not gone unnoticed with US political commentator Van Jones saying it should “send a chill down the spine of every American.”
“We’re going to look back on today historically as a very big deal because that image of Xi Jinping with Putin, with Modi from India, with the leader of Iran, with the leader of North Korea, that should send a chill down the spine of every American,” Mr Jones said. He described the gathering as a sign of a “new world order”, where the West finds itself increasingly boxed in by a multi-polar global landscape.
At the SCO summit, PM Modi was seen clasping Mr Putin’s hand, bursting into laughter, while the Russian leader grinned. Mr Xi maintained a measured smile as the three leaders huddled briefly before lining up for a group photo in Tianjin. Other images showed the camaraderie among the leaders: PM Modi and Mr Putin greeting Mr Xi animatedly, PM Modi embracing Mr Putin, and the leaders walking shoulder to shoulder with Mr Xi.
“That is a new world order. They call it a multipolar world. I call it the West is now in a box,” Mr Jones added. “It was the United States and China together and Russia by itself. Now we’re on the bad end of the triangle. It’s everybody against us. That is not good for America,” he said.
This week was the first gathering of four nations that US analysts label an anti-American “axis of upheaval” – Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia. “The tableau carried multiple messages. The bonhomie between Mr Xi and Mr Putin was meant to convey a close bond between them as leaders of an alternative world order challenging the United States,” US media said.
It added, “Mr Modi sought to show that India has other important friends – including China, regardless of an unresolved border dispute – if the Trump administration chooses to continue alienating New Delhi with tariffs.” The SCO summit, initially conceived as a regional forum in Central Asia, has grown in size and influence, representing an emerging “challenge” to US global leadership, it said.
Mr Xi focused on the need for countries to reject Cold War thinking, rival power blocs, and bullying, and instead protect the UN-centred international system. He called for a world order with multiple power centres and a more just and balanced global governance system.
US President Trump, on Wednesday wrote on Truth Social, “May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America.”
Later, Mr Trump snapped at a Polish journalist for questioning his tariff policy. He said he put secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil and indicated that he hasn’t done “phase two yet or phase three.” Mr Trump, while participating in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, appeared irritated when he was asked by a Polish reporter that he had expressed frustration and disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin but has not taken any action over it.
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China, they’re almost equal, would you say there was no action? That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three. But when you say there’s no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job,” Trump shot back at the Polish reporter.
Trump said two weeks ago, he said, “If India buys, India’s got big problems, and that’s what happens. So, don’t tell me about that.” When asked about Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with Chinese President Xi Jinping at China’s military parade and whether he is considering slapping secondary sanctions on Moscow, Trump said, “Well, I’ve already done that with regard to India, and we’re doing it with regard to other things.” Trump has imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 per cent levies for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 per cent, with effect from August 27.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted he can’t compromise on the interests of farmers, cattle-rearers, small-scale industries, cautioning “pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it.” India has called the tariffs imposed by the US “unjustified and unreasonable.” New Delhi said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.