US President Donald Trump's exclusive lunch with Pakistan's Army Chief, General Asim Munir, at the White House on Friday sparked diplomatic tensions with India, prompting New Delhi to reassess the direction of its ties with China.
According to Indian diplomatic sources, the meeting was seen as a "wrong message" to New Delhi, especially after the bloody attack on Hindu tourists in Kashmir allegedly carried out by a Pakistani-backed militant group.
India subsequently lodged a formal protest with Washington, describing Trump's actions as a breach of trust in bilateral relations that have been strong for two decades.
Although the two countries work closely together to counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Trump's increasingly friendly approach towards Pakistan has raised concerns among Indian leaders.
At the same time, India has also been seen to be softening its stance towards China, including the recent visit of External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar to Beijing, which was the first visit since the border skirmish between the two countries in 2020.
New Delhi is also reportedly considering lifting some investment restrictions on China that were introduced after the conflict.
Analysts see this move as a signal that India no longer wants to be completely dependent on the United States, especially with Trump's erratic and unpredictable foreign policy approach.
Now, the three nuclear powers in the Asian region — India, China and Pakistan — are entering a new phase of more cautious diplomacy, as each country tries to adjust its steps in the face of increasingly challenging global geopolitical uncertainties under the Trump administration.
