WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday said that India and Russia appear to have drifted closer to China following their recent meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, underscoring a growing divide between Washington and its traditional partners as Beijing advances its vision for a new global order.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump wrote in a social media post accompanying a photo of the three other world leaders together at Xi’s summit in China.
Chinese President hosted more than 20 leaders for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the city of Tianjin, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
China on Thursday defended its decision to invite the leaders of Russia and North Korea to World War II commemorations, which President Donald Trump accused them of using to conspire against the United States.
Trump wrote a testy Truth Social post addressing his Chinese counterpart after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin flanked Xi Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing showcasing Chinese military hardware.
Earlier, the Kremlin said that Vladimir Putin was not conspiring with China’s Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un against the United States, and suggested that perhaps President Donald Trump was being ironic with his criticism.
India plans relief package for exporters
India is preparing a relief package to support exporters impacted by a sharp increase in US tariffs, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Friday.
The new US duties, imposed last month, include a 25% punitive tariff linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. These hikes have raised overall tariffs to as much as 50% on a broad range of Indian exports — from garments and jewellery to footwear and chemicals.
“The government will introduce measures to support those affected by the 50% tariffs,” Sitharaman told CNBC TV18, without providing specific details.
According to a Reuters report citing government sources, the package may include credit guarantees for small businesses and exporters with loans overdue by up to 90 days.
Exporters say labour-intensive sectors like textiles, jewellery, and seafood — particularly shrimp — have been the hardest hit. These industries, which typically operate on slim profit margins of just 3–5%, are now facing job losses in key manufacturing hubs across Tamil Nadu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
“Textile and apparel manufacturers in Tiruppur, Noida, and Surat have stopped production due to declining cost competitiveness,” said SC Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.
