Jones’ remarks come at a tense time for the US under President Donald Trump’s second term. After Trump announced steep tariffs on imports, countries like India are exploring new export routes and supply chains.
In August, the US imposed an additional 25% duty on Indian goods, raising the total tariffs to 50%. Washington said the move was aimed at targeting India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which it claims is helping fund the war in Ukraine.
Since then, Trump has made several critical remarks about India and even called the India-US trade relationship a “one-sided disaster.”
PM Modi’s latest visit to China for the SCO summit marked a new chapter in the ties between the two nations. PM Modi visited China after seven years, as the two countries vowed to resolve differences following the military standoff of 2020.
After the SCO summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping also hosted world leaders for a major event in Beijing. The city marked the 80th anniversary of its WWII victory with a military parade at Tiananmen Square, attended by Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, among others.
In a separate report, CNN called this gathering Jinping’s “vision of new world order.”
