Narendra Modi is still holding against big US pressure in trade talks

By T N Ashok

NEW YORK: When President Donald Trump told reporters on November 8 that trade talks with India were “going good” and floated the possibility of visiting New Delhi next year, he was doing more than exchanging diplomatic pleasantries. He was attempting damage control on a relationship his own administration had badly strained.

The question now preoccupying strategists in both capitals is whether this represents genuine strategic recalibration or merely tactical positioning ahead of India’s hosting of the Quad summit—where Mr Trump’s presence would signal American commitment to the Indo-Pacific, but his absence would broadcast dysfunction.

The stakes are considerable. For much of the past decade, American f

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