India, Sept. 26 -- "So wrong! @BarackObama is hosting China's Xi Jinping today at the Pentagon with a full honor ceremony with music and cannons." That was Donald Trump, back in 2012. Irony has since come full circle - and so, it seems, has Trump. From trade to Taiwan to the wars roiling Russia and Iran, Trump and his Chinese counterpart have plenty to iron out before East and West can meet in spirit. But it hasn't escaped anyone's notice that the current occupant of the White House has turned out to be the most obliging American president in contemporary memory, as far as Beijing is concerned. The red carpet and all the accompanying pomp that Trump rolled out for Xi would have been unthinkable for either man just a few years ago. As the adage goes: in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies. If New Delhi is feeling a few jitters over the display of bonhomie in New York, that unease isn't entirely misplaced. Trump has spent years aligning his personal and political interests with Xi's. Consider Elon Musk - one of Trump's closest allies - who sat at the same table as both presidents and their spouses at Thursday's State banquet, and who made pilgrimages to China in 2023 and 2024. Or consider how Beijing has courted Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner since 2017. Despite their fundamental disagreements on almost everything else, Washington and Beijing have been steadily working toward a mutually beneficial rapprochement. Trump, evidently, is putting his dealmaker instincts to full use with China. He wants to negotiate hard: Whether the issue is America's dependence on Chinese rare-earth minerals or the competition posed by China's technological rise, Trump has made clear he doesn't want Beijing holding the upper hand. Xi, on the other hand, appears set to eliminate any impediments to China's economic growth and its geopolitical ambitions in the neighbourhood. The latest charm offensive is evidence (if any were needed) that China matters to American interests across industry, West Asia, and the Russia-Ukraine war. In some ways, this is the American diplomacy playbook at its most classic: embrace whoever can deliver. Before ties with Moscow soured, Trump's overtures to Putin were every bit as grandiose. Yet it's equally clear that the US can no longer afford to ignore China's meteoric rise in the global political economy. Trump prizes strength. And as long as China remains a formidable global player, his administration will keep extending its goodwill gestures. Saudi Arabia offers a useful parallel from West Asia. It is no coincidence that the tightening American grip on Venezuelan oil and the cooling of the US-Saudi strategic partnership have unfolded almost in tandem. In India's case, Washington only took notice once its economy became too large to overlook - crossing the trillion-dollar mark in 2007. The signing of the civil nuclear cooperation pact the following year made that shift official. The recently passed Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 applies to China and India equally. Postponing the tariffs on China until November suggests that the Xi-Trump summit may lead to some exclusive concessions. The lesson this summit offers New Delhi is very clear: In an increasingly inward-facing world order, strength remains the mostpotent negotiating tool....