United States Will Not Allow India to Become as Powerful as China

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has stated that the United States is endeavouring to expand relations with India but will not allow the country to emerge as a powerful economic leader like China.

He also issued a warning about how Washington views its relationship with New Delhi, emphasising that the United States will not adopt an approach similar to its policy towards China two decades ago.

“India must understand that we will not make the same mistakes we made with China 20 years ago, which is to say, ‘Oh, we will let you develop all these markets, and then what happens next is you beat us in many commercial activities,’” he said, as cited from Russia Today on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

Nevertheless, Landau assured that trade and economic relations with India would be fair to American citizens, with negotiations on their trade agreement “nearing the final stage”.

Washington views its 2001 decision to facilitate China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a strategic miscalculation that resulted in the erosion of American industrial influence.

The influx of imports from China also led to the loss of millions of American manufacturing jobs, according to a US research institution.

Some policymakers have claimed that the United States failed to control Beijing’s state subsidies and non-market practices, thus allowing China to disrupt the US-led global order through technology transfers in exchange for market access.

US-China relations have been strained for years, particularly regarding economic and technology issues, but the tariff increases imposed by US President Donald Trump last year triggered a full-scale trade war.

Since Donald Trump returned to office as president, the United States has pursued an “America First” approach in bilateral negotiations and trade, including with countries and blocs such as India, China, and the European Union.

New Delhi and Washington have been negotiating a trade agreement for over a year. In February 2026, the two countries announced the achievement of a provisional agreement that removes 25 per cent “punitive” tariffs on Indian imports of Russian oil.