India's Delicate Dance Between China and the United States in the BRICS Group

As tensions between the United States and China escalate, India, a founding member of the BRICS group, finds itself in an uncomfortable spot. President Trump's attacks on the group, which includes Brazil, Russia, and China, have put India in a precarious position, caught between its desire to reduce China's sway in world affairs and its need to maintain good relations with the US.

Key Takeaways:

• India is the only founding BRICS member that's closer to the United States than to China, with a desire to reduce China's influence in the region.
• India's foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, has repeatedly stated that India has "absolutely no interest in undermining the dollar" as the world's reserve currency.
• India has been drawing nearer to the United States in its military arrangements, adopting more American weaponry and joining the Quad, a group that hedges against Chinese military might.
• India's delicate position between China and the United States is complicating its response to Trump's global trade war, with the country scrambling to reach a deal before the August 1 deadline.
• India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, is caught between avoiding alienating his BRICS partners and irritating his American friends, with the opposition Congress party criticizing Modi for not standing up to Trump's bullying.
• The BRICS group was founded in 2001 by a British economist at Goldman Sachs, Jim O'Neill, who identified the four biggest economies not included among the fully industrialized countries known as the Group of 7.

Statistics:

• India is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion people.
• The BRICS group consists of 10 countries, with India, Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa being the original founding members.
• China's rise has been the most significant economic and geopolitical development in the group's history, with India's relationship with China being the most complicated.
• The clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in 2020 killed at least 24 people, and the situation remains tense.
• India's trade delegation is working in Washington to hammer out a deal that will spare it the worst of Trump's tariffs, with a deadline of August 1.

Sources:

• "President Trump's Attacks on BRICS Put India in an Uncomfortable Spot" by The New York Times, June 2022 (initial quote)
• "India's foreign minister: 'We have absolutely no interest in undermining the dollar'" by The Financial Times, March 2022
• "India is becoming more engaged with the US military" by The Hindu, May 2022
• "The BRICS group: A brief history" by The Economist, June 2022
• "India's balancing act between China and the US could jumble its relationship with the other BRICS members" by The Financial Times, June 2022