President Donald Trump’s trade and immigration policies are straining key international relationships, especially with South Korea and India. Recently, South Korean workers were detained at a Hyundai plant in Georgia, causing tension. The U.S. relationship with India has also cooled due to tariffs imposed by Trump as punishment for India’s Russian oil purchases. Despite Trump’s past friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recent actions have caused friction. Experts warn these issues could have lasting effects on U.S. alliances, as countries may seek stronger ties with China. The situation highlights growing concerns about America’s diplomatic standing.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade and immigration policies are undermining relationships that have been cornerstones of American foreign policy to counter China's growing influence, eroding years of diplomatic investments spanning administrations.
The latest fracture came Friday, when hundreds of South Korean workers were detained at a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia, a facility that had been a showcase for closer economic ties between the two countries. Some of the workers, who were being investigated for visa issues, were shackled.
Administration officials insist that trade will not be impacted, but foreign policy analysts have watched deteriorating relationships with alarm. Instead of following the conventional wisdom of building coalitions as a bulwark against China, Trump has reveled in turning the screws on friend and foe alike.
“Treaty allies are developing fallback options if the United States disengages from the region,” said Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies U.S. strategy in Asia. “Some partners are hedging by cultivating better relationships with China.”
Ties with India also have cooled despite a previously cordial friendship between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump imposed tariffs on India as punishment for buying Russian oil during the war in Ukraine, and he's grown closer with Pakistan, a bordering rival.
Modi was recently photographed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a security summit in Tianjin, prompting a social media jab from Trump.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China," he wrote. "May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
It's possible that recent spats could blow over. For example, Trump recently said, “I will always be friends with Modi,” and Modi said their countries have a “very positive” relationship.
But concerns among Asian nations may not be temporary, especially if there's a sense that Trump's skeptical view of foreign engagement will linger after he's no longer in office.
“Most countries in the region believe that Washington’s protectionist policies, unilateral tendencies and greater skepticism of overseas engagement will outlast the Trump administration,” Cooper said.
Trump has occasionally talked tough toward China, and he risked a trade war between the world's first and second largest economies by announcing steep tariffs. However, both sides have stepped back from that confrontation, and Trump has been focused on seeking a summit with Xi.
After a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the summer, the State Department said both sides “agreed to explore areas of potential cooperation, while seeking to manage differences.”
The tension between Trump and Modi has been particularly surprising given their closeness during Trump's first term. However, Modi has declined to indulge Trump's attempt to claim credit for brokering a recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, although Pakistan has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize that he covets.
In addition, India has been caught in the crossfire of Trump's efforts to resolve the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In order to put indirect pressure on Moscow, Trump increased tariffs on India for buying Russian oil during the war.
Eric Garcetti, who served as U.S. ambassador to India under President Joe Biden, said years of diplomacy won't be reversed but said “a lot of damage can be done,” and he warned that it would be a “very lonely world” if India and U.S. are not on the same page.
“This is one of the most critical relationships for our success and for the world," he said.
Rick Rossow, a senior adviser focused on India and emerging Asia economics at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the U.S.-India relationship is at “a low point” but “such moments always feel like they are more significant than they actually are.”
However, tensions could jeopardize a planned visit by Trump to India to attend a summit that would also include leaders from Japan and Australia. The strategic grouping, known as the Quad, is viewed as a mechanism to counter Beijing’s military and political influences in the region.
The raid at the Hyundai facility stands out as a highly public display of the Trump administration's willingness to enforce its aggressive immigration policy, even if it also comes at an economic cost, sparking anger and a sense of betrayal in South Korea, less than two weeks after a White House meeting between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
“Damage has already been done as anti-American sentiment is clearly on the rise,” said Bong Youngshik, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, citing public shock in South Korea over the detentions and U.S. authorities releasing video showing the workers being chained and taken away.
Trump has pushed Seoul to expand U.S. industrial investments, but without a visa system to support enough skilled workers to establish new manufacturing facilities.
“There’s a growing perception among South Koreans that the United States is engaging in bullying behavior, not only about this case but also with their aggressive push to increase tariffs," Bong said. "There’s a widespread feeling that it is taking things too far."
Bong said the issue would remain a “ticking time bomb" and “it will become extremely difficult for South Korean companies to send their employees to the United States.”
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Kim reported from Seoul.
