EP-330 | Samir Saran on Trump, Pak-China Ties, Indian Economy, Foreign Policy, Op Sindoor & More

Samir Saran is the President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India’s leading think tank based in New Delhi. He is a well-known voice in the field of diplomacy and is also the curator of the Raisina Dialogue. Samir has written several books and focuses his research on global governance, climate policy, and India’s foreign relations.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he explains how India should deal with US President Donald Trump. He also talks about Operation Sindoor and why it doesn't matter if no country openly supported India.

Samir shares why Pakistan continues to maintain strong ties with both the US and China. He also discusses what New Delhi needs to do to become a 10 trillion-dollar economy, including building strong trade ties with China, while staying firm and strategic at the border.

He also reflects on how India’s foreign policy has changed over the last decade, and what the road ahead looks like.

*Timestamps*

00:00 – Introduction

00:46 – Global Support for India During Op Sindoor

14:22 – Op Sindoor Outreach With All-Party Delegations

17:54 – Trump’s Transactional Approach

19:56 – India and the Trump Administration

21:51 – EU–India Trade Deal

24:32 – Weaponisation of Trade

32:36 – India’s Global South Outreach

38:14 – When China Overtook India

44:26 – China–Pakistan Relations

50:26 – Russia–India–China Grouping

54:59 – AI’s Economic Impact

59:36 – Trump–Asim Munir Meet

1:14:32 – Pressure on India Over Russian Oil

1:17:02 – On His Book ‘GeoTechnoGraphy’