The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) is delighted to invite you to a seminar titled “How Will India Respond to Trump 2.0?” on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 from 4:00-5.15 PM (IST).

The seminar will feature a discussion with Amita Batra, Senior Fellow, CSEP; Shayak Sengupta, India Program Lead, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; Jabin Jacob, Non-Resident Fellow, CSEP; and Constantino Xavier, Senior Fellow, CSEP. Riya Sinha, Associate Fellow, CSEP, will moderate the discussion.

The seminar will be held at the CSEP Auditorium, 6, Dr Jose P Rizal Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110021. Please note that this is an in-person event only. If you are in Delhi on the day, please join us for the seminar. The event will be available on the CSEP website and YouTube channel upon completion.

Register here to attend

About the event

The upcoming Trump 2.0 presidency could re-shape India-US cooperation around critical issues, demanding a recalibration of India’s strategies for its trade, climate, China and neighbourhood policies. The US trade deficit may lead to tougher negotiations on the impact of tariffs and rules of market access. With diminished US climate leadership, India may need to step up in global climate governance while reassessing its energy partnership with the US, including investments in renewables and LNG imports. Both India and the US see China as a challenge, and an increasingly aggressive counter from Washington DC could deepen strategic ties, particularly in defence and supply chain cooperation. There are also possible obstacles from divergent political priorities in South Asia—especially regarding Bangladesh—which may challenge India’s regional strategy.

This roundtable will provide insights on how India can navigate the unpredictability of a Trump presidency while seizing opportunities to strengthen strategic ties. The discussion will draw broader implications from what to expect over the next four years in India-US ties.

Discussants

Amita Batra

Amita Batra is a Senior Fellow at CSEP on leave from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where she is Professor of Economics in the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies.  She has taught at various universities, is on the editorial committee or board of several national and international journals and writes a monthly column, ‘Straight talk’, for Business Standard.  Her work focuses on international trade, economic integration, and India’s trade policy.

Shayak Sengupta

Shayak Sengupta is the India Program Lead and a Senior Research Associate at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA.  He has previously been a Fellow in Energy & Climate at ORF America and a Visiting Researcher at CSEP.  His expertise focuses on technology and policy related to energy, climate change, and air quality.

Jabin Jacob

Jabin Jacob is a Non-Resident Fellow at CSEP, Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations and Governance Studies at Shiv Nadar University, and Adjunct Research Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation.  As a researcher, he has spent time in Taiwan, France and Singapore.  His work focuses on Chinese domestic politics, China-South Asia relations, Sino-Indian border areas, Indian and Chinese worldviews, and centre-province relations in China.

Constantino Xavier

Constantino Xavier is a Senior Fellow at CSEP and leads the Sambandh Initiative on regional connectivity.  He regularly teaches, lectures and supervises research at universities and government institutions, and leads research projects on India’s infrastructure and connectivity partnerships, climate cooperation frameworks and critical minerals security.  His expertise is on the intersecting dimensions of security, connectivity and democracy across South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Moderator

Riya Sinha

Riya Sinha is an Associate Fellow at CSEP and coordinates the Sambandh Initiative on regional connectivity.  She also manages the Sambandh Policy Dialogue, a forum for experts and policymakers to discuss connectivity and geo-economics between India and its surrounding regions.  She has been a Maitri Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and a Visiting Fellow at the Stimson Center.  Her work focuses on trade, logistics, infrastructure, and border management.

Please contact Gurmeet Kaur at GKaur@csep.org for general queries and Ayesha Manocha at AManocha@csep.org for media queries.