Why US policy on India aims to avoid repeat of China ‘mistake’

A warning by a senior US official that the Trump administration would not repeat with India the “mistakes” it made in its past dealings with China signals that Washington would not allow New Delhi’s rise to come at the expense of its strategic interests.Speaking at a conference on international politics and economics in Delhi on Friday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the US wanted to work with India to unlock its “limitless potential”.But he added at the Raisina Dialogue: “We are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago.”Landau’s comments indicate that while the US may pursue a closer trade relationship with India, it could implement wide-ranging curbs on the bilateral cooperation, according to analysts.Such a view also reflects common perceptions in Washington that the US has helped fuel China’s integration into the global economy without sufficient safeguards, consequently creating a powerful rival.As such, the US may impose restrictions on market access, technology transfer and economic concessions on India to prevent a repeat of China’s ascendancy, analysts say.