News: During Donald Trump’s first term as President (2017-21), India emerged as an indispensable partner to the United States.
1. The Trump administration backed India on the issue of terrorism. It supported designation of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief as a global terrorist by the UNSC and grey listing of Pakistan by the Financial Action Task force (FATF).
2. India-US defence ties also received a major boost as India was elevated to the Tier 1 of the Strategic Trade Authorisation (STA). This led to India’s defence procurement from the US climbing to $18 billion annually in 2019.
3. On the geostrategic front, Donald Trump firmly established China as a strategic threat and a rival. He revived the QUAD grouping and laid a strategy to confront China in the Indo-Pacific, which suited India’s interests.
4. To foster the energy sector, Trump 1.0 witnessed the launch of bilateral Strategic Energy Partnership in 2018. This led to India’s increased import of crude and LNG from the US.
5. However, the bilateral relations were also marked by challenges like differences over tariff regime, issues related to immigration, Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
