On October 15, Trump released a heavy message saying India had "assured" that it would no longer buy Russian oil, and that China should do the same.
On the same day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Basent already announced that he would consider imposing tariffs of up to 500% on China imports, aiming directly at energy trade between China and Russia.
This interconnected talk makes the situation momentaneously tense, but is this old threatened path really useful?
Trump ‘Announces’ India’s Concessions
Trump has openly said that India has promised him to stop importing Russian oil, which sounds like a deal, but in detail, there is no response from India.
There was no statement, no rebuttal, and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not explain its position. The entire Indian government collectively chose to remain silent.
This silence is not unusual, and if there is such a major shift, India should simultaneously issue an official statement, or at least clarify it.
But now nothing, this "non-silent" approach, in fact, instead explains the complexity of the problem.
Trump's words may not be conveying a consensus reached, but an attempt to create a certain "fait accompli" impression on India through public opinion.
From the perspective of India, their dependence on Russia is not a day or two, buying Russian oil is not just a question of cheap, but more about the energy security and economic stability of the whole country.
Suddenly, the cost of the shutdown is not generally large, and India has been geopolitically pursuing "strategic autonomy" and is reluctant to easily stand up.
Now being "named" by Trump, even if there are private negotiations, it will not be easy to acknowledge in public, so Trump's words are more like a strategy, through the media, forcing India to make a choice between China and the United States.
However, India obviously did not want to be led to such a rhythm, so it chose to remain silent.
This failure to express its position actually reflects India's embarrassing situation in the current international situation. It can neither easily offend the United States nor rashly cut off cooperation with Russia.
This state of "retreat and difficulty" is the common situation of many medium-sized countries today when facing the game of great powers.
Tax rate up to 500%
As Trump said, “India has promised,” the U.S. Treasury quickly followed the pace, releasing a more impactful message.
If China continues to buy Russian energy, the U.S. will consider imposing tariffs of up to 500 percent on Chinese products, which is no longer a means of trade in the common sense, but a naked pressure strategy.
The 500% tariff has gone far beyond the scope of normal economic policy, not to protect the country’s industry, not to reduce the trade deficit, but to try to force a cut in energy cooperation between China and Russia by unconventional means.
In essence, this is using energy as a weapon, market access as a bargaining chip, and using extreme methods to force the other party to make concessions.
From another point of view, the reason that the United States will take this step shows that it has felt an increasing sense of powerlessness when it faces China.
In recent years, the United States has carried out several rounds of pressure on China in various fields such as science and technology, finance, and military, but the effect is not ideal.
What China should develop is still developing, and its cooperation with Russia has not been interrupted by sanctions, so the United States began to look for new breakthroughs, and energy became the next starting point.
But is this really effective?
Judging from past experience, China will not easily give in to its extreme pressure on the United States. More importantly, the energy cooperation relationship itself is not a simple trade act, but a long-term strategic arrangement.
If the United States really raises tariffs so high, not only will Sino-US relations be severely affected, but the entire global supply chain and energy market may also be in turmoil.
This also means that the wave of U.S. operations, although it may seem agitated, will not necessarily bring the results it wants, but will potentially stimulate China to accelerate its energy autonomy and reduce its dependence on Western markets.
In the long run, it is likely to be a decision of “injured a thousand, self-injured eight hundred.”
US-style pressure, instead of accelerating global “decentralization”
From India's silence to China's strong response, they all reflect a trend. More and more countries are no longer willing to be led by the United States 'unilateral strategy.
Especially for countries like India, keeping a certain distance between China and the United States is their way of survival and development.
The strategy adopted by the United States is a typical "not this is he" logic, either standing on my side or the opponent.But the real world is not black and white.Most countries are judging according to their own interests, rather than simply choosing a side stand.
Especially in the context of changing global patterns, countries prefer to use flexible strategies to balance relations between each other.
In the past, the United States could dominate the international order through economic, military and technological advantage, but now things are changing, its influence is being diluted, and unilateral sanctions and high-pressure policies are becoming increasingly difficult to get the desired results.
Other countries are reluctant to cooperate unconditionally, precisely because they see the cost of the “Game of Great Powers” and are more aware of where their interests lie.
So Trump tried to redistribute the camp through public pressure and tariffs, but the effect could be opposite.
Not because of a press conference will change the policy direction, but because of this feeling of oppression, more firmly to protect their strategic autonomy.
In fact, this diplomatic game around Russian oil is not just an energy issue, nor is it just a question of whether China and India are "obedient". The real focus behind it is that the United States wants to re-establish its dominant position in the global system in a tough way.
Energy is part of a global public resource that is used to confront and block, ultimately only reducing the space for original cooperation.
If each country starts to engage in “selective cooperation”, it will be difficult for the international trade system to remain stable.The U.S. approach, on the one hand, weakens its own credibility and, on the other hand, exposes its deep anxiety about the future pattern.
This anxiety is actually quietly promoting a new trend, and the world is moving towards multipolarity.
Different countries have begun to establish their own cooperation networks in regional, economic, security and other aspects, and no longer rely blindly on the system dominated by the United States and the West.
This change is not sudden, but gradually emerged in the past few years. In this pattern, tough pressure will make some countries more firmly move towards diversified cooperation and strategic balance.
conclusion
It can be seen from Trump's "press conference diplomacy" that the United States is increasingly inclined to use public opinion first and policy follow-up to create influence in global affairs.
When a country begins to frequently use high tariffs, threats of sanctions, public roll calls, etc. to deal with international relations, it often shows that its toolbox of traditional influence is no longer enough.
Instead, this shift to strong pressure exposes the shrinkage of its strategic space.
Trump spoke eloquently, but reality is far more complicated than language. The voice of the United States is still loud, but the world is no longer just listening to one person's opinion. The pace of multipolarity will not stop just because of a press conference.
reference
US Treasury Secretary: U.S. Senate is ready to grant Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 500% on China October 15, 2025 at 22:50 AM
Trump broke the big news again: Modi has promised that India will no longer buy Russian oil 2025-10-16 11: 17 · Financial Associated Press