Trump and Modi Hug Tight In First Meeting

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm embrace from President Trump during their first bilateral meeting, with the two leaders sounding a common line on counter-terrorism and security ties. The Nikkei Asian Review reports:

 U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday agreed to bolster security cooperation, while apparently sidestepping the more sensitive subject of U.S. visas for skilled foreign workers.

Trump’s remarks after the meeting focused on his security agenda, with the president pledging to “destroy radical Islamic terrorism.” He also revealed a plan to conduct three-way military drills with India and Japan in July, which he said would be “the largest maritime exercise ever conducted in the vast Indian Ocean.” […]

Security cooperation with India, Trump said, is “incredibly important.”

Trump and Modi’s warm words (and their meme-worthy hug) were accompanied by concrete announcements. Hours before their joint statement, the State Department officially sanctioned the leader of the Kashmiri separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen as a Global Terrorist. And the two sides were also able to announce several bilateral defense deals, including India’s purchase of a C-17 military transport plane and, more significantly, a $2 billion agreement to sell 22 Predator Guardian drones to India.

Those signals present a series of red flags for both Pakistan and China. Trump’s brokering of defense deals with India, affirmation of solidarity on counter-terrorism, and promises to improve intelligence sharing come just as the U.S. is conducting a review of its Afghanistan policy and mulling a tougher line toward Pakistan. For Islamabad, Trump’s friendly gestures toward Modi will harden fears that Washington sees New Delhi playing a key role in any long-term Afghanistan settlement.

The summit also gave China plenty of reason to worry. The Predator drone deal will allow India to surveil Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean, and Trump’s stress on the expanded naval drills with Japan and India suggest that the U.S. will continue to be actively engaged there as China seeks to expand its presence. Trump also seemed to implicitly endorse India’s concerns about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with language in the joint statement that asked other countries to “[ensure] respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity” when pursuing infrastructure initiatives.

Finally, Trump praised India for helping to enforce sanctions on North Korea, while issuing an ominous warning. “The North Korean regime is causing tremendous problems,” Trump said, “and it’s something that has to be dealt with—and probably dealt with rapidly.” This, too, was a thinly veiled message to Beijing that comes as Trump’s patience with China is reportedly running out. Indeed, a senior administration official confirmed to the New York Times that Trump’s enthusiastic embrace of Modi was partly an expression of his displeasure with Beijing for failing to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

None of these messages will be lost on India’s rivals. Already, Chinese state media is warning that Modi could turn himself into a “pawn” of Washington, while Pakistan has decried the terrorist designation and Kashmiri leaders are warning of a “Trump-Modi nexus” that could doom their cause. Look for both Beijing and Islamabad to push back as Trump and Modi continue to cozy up.

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