Trump Under Pressure: India, Russia & China Unite | Modi vs Trump Tariff Clash

The panel featured Glenn Diesen, Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, Dr. Harsh Pant, Professor of International Relations at King’s College London, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), Indian Army, Former GOC 15 Corps & 21 Corps, MS, Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor at The Hindu, and Ambassador Arun Singh, Former Indian Ambassador to the United States.

General Hasnain emphasized India’s careful navigation of “turbulent waters,” noting that ties with the U.S., built over decades, cannot collapse due to current frictions. Dr. Pant observed that India–China ties are moving back to a “pre-Galwan” phase of political engagement, though mistrust lingers, especially with Beijing’s close Pakistan links. Diesen argued that Washington’s pressure tactics could inadvertently push India closer to Moscow and Beijing. Haidar highlighted China’s deliberate power play and stressed that much depends on Beijing’s future behavior, while Ambassador Singh underlined the need for India to preserve strategic autonomy despite global flux.

Barkha Dutt concluded that today’s world order is shaped by optics and tactical positioning rather than permanent alignments. India’s challenge is to manage optics without losing strategic balance in a fractured multipolar order.