| After entering the White House,Donald Trump swiftly led his foreign policy team to assess the global and South Asian situation.Based on the assessment,he re-formulated the South Asia policy of the U.S.Based on the Trump administration’s policy interpretation and performance,it can be seen that the United States has two major goals in South Asia: the first is to completely withdraw troops from Afghanistan;the second is to draw in India and other countries to implement the "Indo-Pacific" strategy in order to contain and encircle China.With regard to Pakistan,the Trump administration mainly adopted a “carrot and stick” policy,that is,both pressure and reassurance were applied to Pakistan,prompting Pakistan to play a supporting role in the Afghan peace negotiations through its special relationship with some political factions in Afghanistan,and to assist the United States in reaching a final peace agreement of Afghanistan.For India,the Trump administration mainly revolves around the "Indo-Pacific" strategy to strengthen diplomatic and military security cooperation with India,improve India’s position in the US global strategy,and win India to join the US-Japan-Australia-India quadrilateral mechanism,so as to form an encircling net against China from Indian Ocean to the Pacific.This article proposes that the depth of the influence of the United States under Trump Administration on the development of the China-India-Pakistan triangle is unprecedented in history.In the pre-Trump era,due to lack of strong external intervention,China has become the dominant force in the China-India-Pakistan triangle by virtue of its national power.Influenced by China,the triangle has evolved in a peaceful direction and is relatively stable.After Trump became President of the U.S.,the U.S.government wooed India on the political and military fronts,and ignored or tolerated India’s provocative actions against China and Pakistan.This became India’s biggest external force in challenging China’s leading role in the triangle,and China lost its pivotal position within the triangle.The Trump administration’s South Asia policy has also widened the gulf between the United States and Pakistan,and further consolidated the foundation for cooperation between China and Pakistan.Generally speaking,under the influence of the Trump administration’s South Asia policy,the main theme of the China-India-Pakistan triangle has changed from peace and development to differentiation and confrontation.There exists once again a Cold War-like confrontation in South Asia region.In the future,the successive Biden administration will most likely to continue the Trump administration’s South Asia policy to a large extent in order to fulfill two main strategic goals of the U.S.: “superpower competition” and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.Therefore,the tension in the China-India-Pakistan triangle is difficult to dissolve in a short period of time,and may even intensify more.But it is also worth noting that the Biden administration may have frictions with India over issues such as democracy and human rights.These may bring variables to the USIndia synergy,which will change the path the U.S.takes to influence China-India-Pakistan triangle. |
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