India's Strategic Squeeze: Trumpian Disruption Meets China's Silent Advance

• US diplomacy under Trump has shifted from predictable policy to ego-driven ultimatums, impacting global alliances and India-US ties.
• Trump's actions, including tariffs and whitewashing Pakistani terror, have damaged relations, despite previous efforts to strengthen India-US bonds.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping uses Trump's antics to foster anti-Americanism, while temporarily pausing aggressive encroachments in some regions.
• India must demand substance from Xi's 'charm offensive', including reversing PLA's 'salami slicing' in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Despite Xi's professional facade, India should recognize him as an aggressor seeking territorial expansion; demand withdrawal from occupied lands.