Trump-Xi meeting: G2 is a duopoly the world doesn’t need

The era of the Cold War had seen a different G2 — the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union — and nations were forced to align with one of the two blocs

President Donald Trump has promoted the concept of a G2 — a grouping of the US and China — since his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing it as a force for everlasting peace and success. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, one of Trump’s key acolytes, and his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, agreed at a subsequent meeting to set up military-to-military channels to de-conflict and de-escalate problems between the US and China. How much of this is the usual Trumpian hyperbole remains to be seen, though Beijing, in its first formal response, has spoken about continuing to practice true multilateralism and working with other countries to uphold the multilateral trading system, the UN Charter and the norms of international ties.

How much of this is the usual Trumpian hyperbole remains to be seen, though Beijing, in its first formal response, has spoken about continuing to practice true multilateralism and working with other countries. (@WhiteHouse X/ANI)

The era of the Cold War had seen a different G2 — the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union — and nations were forced to align with one of the two blocs. India and other players from what is today seen as the Global South came up with non-alignment and picked issues, rather than countries, to back until 1971, when New Delhi shifted to the Soviet side without joining the bloc per se. This time, considering the lingering tensions with China, India will need to walk the strategic tightrope, while emphasising multipolarity and strategic autonomy, and building parallel partnerships with neighbours and others in the Global South.

India can ill afford any strategic alignments that enhance China’s position, and it should stay away from any talk of a G2 without adopting adversarial positions towards either Washington or Beijing. If this emerging duopoly takes shape, India will, perforce, have to double down on working closely with Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam and the European Union, all of whom face the risk of being seen as secondary powers.