China and India are getting closer, thanks to Trump's policies

 One of the foreign policy side effects of Trump's tariffs is that they have brought traditionally distant nations closer together. The most striking example is the new relationship being established between India and China, traditionally adversaries. The two great Asian nations share thousands of kilometers of border, along which tensions have recurred over time; the Tibetan issue has also contributed to these frictions, and the proximity between India and the US has fueled China's mistrust of India. In reality, the greatest point of contention has been the two countries' struggle for dominance of the Asian continent, which China's significant progress has tilted in its favor. That was until Trump emerged on the scene. Although relations with New Delhi were completely different during the White House's first term, in his second term India asserted greater neutrality on international issues compared to the US position. It was displeased that Trump took credit for the end of the conflict between India and Pakistan, and finally, the Indian government was displeased that its citizens were displayed in handcuffs, like veritable trophies in the fight against illegal immigrants, a cornerstone of the US president's policy. While these issues had already strained relations between the two countries, the decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian goods exported to the US, due to India's purchase of Russian oil, completely froze relations. This has resulted in an effect that is certainly undesirable, but highly predictable, for American foreign policy: a rapprochement, unthinkable until recently, between New Delhi and Beijing. Now, reversing this process will prove extremely difficult for White House strategists. The renewed relations between the two countries' foreign ministers promise to be only the starting point for new ties. The first step will be to reopen trade at three Himalayan passes and the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, which have not been available since 2020, as well as the issuance of visas for tourism, business, and information. These initial developments represent only a small portion of the trade potential the two countries can undertake, at least partially offsetting the effects of US tariffs. Even within the BRICS organization, Beijing has already expressed support for India's hosting of next year's summit between Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, aimed at increasing trade relations between these countries. A closer form of cooperation between these countries, in trade and finance, leading to an agreement on a common currency alternative to the dollar, could seriously jeopardize the American economy, which is alienating formerly friendly countries for ideological reasons or relative expediency, thus strengthening China's position as the world's leading industrial power. It must be noted that India's closeness to Russia is almost a given, but American action is strengthening it. Its rapprochement with China is a different matter, representing a truly novel development on the global stage and also strategically threatening to create an Asian bloc highly hostile to the US. Since Obama's presidency, Washington has placed Asia at the center of its political and economic interests to the detriment of Europe. The goal was to isolate China, a doctrine Trump also embraces. However, his actions are favoring an outcome far different from the original intentions. At this point, China has Russia on its side, and India's rapprochement means depriving the United States of an ally, albeit a not-so-close one, which can only count on Japan and South Korea in that part of the world. The incompetence of Trump and those he has surrounded himself with is causing significant damage to American foreign policy, which is not yet fully understood within the American centers of power, now firmly in the hands of the president's Republican allies. With isolation, the program of making America great again will fail, and the resulting wreckage will be difficult to repair, not only politically but also economically.