India could be a strategic partner for the US - analyst

India’s economy may not be as big as China’s, but it could still be a good partner for the U.S. amid a protracted trade war, one global political analyst told CNBC.

“India is still a very large country. It has a relatively robust economy, (it has) a lot of potential down the road. It is not a true counterbalance to China in the Indian Ocean basin but it is certainly a country that can be a strategic partner with the United States in that region,” said Rodger Baker, senior vice president of strategic analysis at geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor.

On Sunday, U.S. President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi appeared together at a Texas rally, increasing hopes for a trade deal between the world’s largest and sixth largest economies. 

Baker said a closer relationship with New Delhi could potentially have many upsides for the U.S. and was something Washington had been interested in before the Trump administration.

The biggest winners in the the “constant trade competition between the United States and China” are countries like “Vietnam, Indonesia, parts of Southeast Asia,” said Baker. But looking ahead, he said, India could benefit from the situation too.