Busan bombshell: How Trump-Xi’s ’12/10′ deal leaves India out in the cold

This special report focuses on the 2025 Busan APEC summit, where a landmark meeting between US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping resulted in a deal that has reshaped Asian geopolitics, leaving India in a precarious position. The report states, ‘Both nations needed breathing space. But for India, that space just shrank.’ The agreement covers a rollback of tariffs, a one-year resumption of Chinese rare earth exports, and cooperation on fentanyl, effectively pausing the fierce US-China rivalry. While celebrated by Trump as a ’12 out of 10 meeting,’ the pact is analyzed as a strategic setback for New Delhi. It undercuts India’s role as a trusted alternative in global supply chains, creates an economic disadvantage due to continued US tariffs on Indian goods, and signals India’s diminished relevance in Washington’s transactional foreign policy, raising questions about the future of the US-India partnership and the Quad.