Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump (PTI/File)
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked through the grand halls of the White House last month, the imagery was striking of a leader from the heart of the Global South standing at the center of global power.
With growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, the meeting between Modi and Donald Trump signals more than diplomatic pleasantries. India, deeply embedded in global supply chains and strategic alliances, wants to ensure it remains on the winning side of globalization. And beyond economic partnerships, New Delhi wants to secure a military advantage in an increasingly polarized world.
As Modi worked his charm on the mercurial Trump, he was leveraging the relationship with Washington for defense and technological advantages in an era marked by China’s assertiveness and shifting geopolitical tides.
Securing Strategic Continuity
To unpack the strategic gains and potential challenges, I sat down with Dr. Amitabh Mattoo, Dean of the School of International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
His first comment gave me the answer: “The Trump-Modi meeting was significant in securing India’s early engagement with the White House so as to not be taken by surprise by policies presented as a fait accompli. India wanted a voice there with President Trump in his early days.”
With immigration and tariffs also looming concerns, Monish Tourangbam adds, “The India- US bilateral relationship has become multifaceted, and the webs of linkages are too dense to be overtaken by a single issue.”
For more than 20 years, Washington has cheered on India not just as a rising power but as a thriving marketplace, nudging it to step up as both a regional heavyweight and a global economic force. The George W. Bush Administration said the US “goal is to help India become a major world power in the 21st century….We understand fully the implications, including military implications of that statement.”
The Obama Administration followed up, “India’s greater role on the world stage will enhance peace and security,” as the influx of skilled IT professionals from India to the US revolutionized the tech and commerce sector. This mutually beneficial strategic relationship took into account the rise of China.
Before Donald Trump’s first term, Dhruva Jaishankar observed, “India will have to convince the new administration of the benefits of American openness and the calculations that guided the past three US Presidents’ engagement with India.” More than eight years later, as the dynamics of the relationship evolve, the strong rapport between Trump and Prime Minister Modi signals continued strategic gains for India. Defense modernisation and technology remain the key pillars of collaboration, with the US-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century cementing the objectives.
Beyond Defense: The Economies and Trade
In an editorial in February, The Hindu sees the India-US strategic partnership taking a “transactional turn”. India must proactively safeguard its interests, pushing back against potential Trump policies that could negatively affect its strategic and economic priorities, such as counter-tariffs, reciprocal taxes, and the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Dr. Mattoo echoes:
Trump is seen as a dealmaker, but a dealmaker who sticks to the deal as long as he sees it serving his interests while also recognizing that beyond tactical considerations, there are strategic factors that may compel him to sustain a relationship.
In terms of tactics and negotiation, he has bargained over tariffs and other issues, but I think he acknowledges that India, especially in the context of China’s rise which poses the greatest threat to American interests in the region is a potential ally. India is also a huge market, and that makes the relationship important.
Mattoo notes that the deportation of undocumented immigrants from the US has been accepted without much “noise”. That tips off New Delhi’s focus on establishing a foothold over the issuance of H-1B visas for skilled professionals. “If the U.S. wants to sustain its technological edge, it needs skilled professionals from India,” he asserts.
India may face short-term pressures over tariffs, but it appears willing to absorb these as it pursues long-term strategic and economic dividends. Initiatives such as India’s pre-emptive tariff reductions on select American products; the ambitious Mission 500 which aims to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030; the planned negotiation of a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by fall 2025, and the push for deeper two-way investment flows highlight New Delhi’s commitment to a robust and resilient economic partnership with Washington.
Negotiating Relationships
Last month’s joint statement emphasizes that a strong US-India relationship is central to maintaining a free, open, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Both nations, along with Quad partners Australia and Japan, recognize the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), adherence to international law, and the need for good governance. The US commitment to the Quad under Trump highlights the strategic priority of countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, as American engagement in Europe
dwindles.
Mattoo says, “While US investment in the QUad will continue, what you might see, however, is a push from America for all Quad countries to avoid being free riders, encouraging them to spend more on their own security as part of the group.”
This strengthens India’s position as a key regional power, but it requires careful calibration of defense and economic priorities to balance commitments within the Quad while maintaining strategic autonomy.
While deeply engaged with the US, India also has an opportunity to strengthen ties with Europe, in the wake of shifting global alliances. This negotiation of partnerships does not come at the expense of India’s relationship with the US but complements it in an independent and multilateral foreign policy. Meanwhile, as Mattoo notes, “the pressure on India to do business with Russia will also be lessened”.
C. Raja Mohan concludes, “As Washington abandons allies and accommodates adversaries, New Delhi is in a sweet spot.”
Challenges and Opportunities
There was no mention of clean energy commitments and climate change in the joint statement, omissions signalling differences that might arise. However, the silence also indicates that New Delhi does not want to highlight the issues for the time being, at least as far as the Trump-Modi collaboration is concerned.
India’s focus on consistency and defense cooperation is clear. Mohan assesses that India is better placed than most major powers in dealing with Trump’s disruption of the post-1945 global system and balance of power. New Delhi can continue leveraging its strategic autonomy rather than being forced into unwelcome choices.
As Tourangbam argues, “The practice of India’s strategic autonomy has always been about creating traction for the pursuit of India’s national interests, and India’s ability to do so will be tested in how it manages its great power relationship with the United States.”
