Interesting diplomacy by India. We don't have the specifics but it isn't surprising that they tried to reserve their stockpile. If hydroxychloroquine turned out to have clinical efficacy with studies backing it up, India would probably use up most of its stock over its 1.3 billion citizens and would prioritize that over giving handouts to the U.S. Modi and Trump seem to have a good relationship but India also faces population density issues with a lack of medical supplies so it's a wrap if coronavirus gets out of hand. There is no social distancing feasible.
Exactly. And if it doesn't work against CV-19, it is still a proven anti-malaria treatment.
I really liked how Trump forced the Indian PM to hand him over the medicine that US badly needs to fight against COVID-19, and the best part is that he first made a kind request, and then immediately followed it by a threat which forced the Indian PM to immediately back down in matter of hours and comply with his request.
I'm not sure about this, there are deeper moral implications. It's an anti-malaria drug, and if the Indian export ban was indeed an attempt to preserve domestic supplies, then the lifting of the ban raises profound concerns. Malaria is endemic in India.
In 2016 over half of India's population (698 million) was at risk of contracting malaria according to the World Malaria Report, which also reported India accounting for 6% of the world's malaria cases, 6% of deaths caused by the disease, and 51% of the global Plasmodium vivax malaria cases.
India has also been quite successful in fighting the disease:
The World Malaria Report 2019 provided a comprehensive update on the burden of malaria cases and deaths across the globe. India was reported to be one of the only two nations that achieved a reduction in malaria cases among the 11 nations that carry the maximum burden of malaria across the world.
Trump has forced Modi to hand over medicine which
may help fight CV-19, and which is
proven to help fight malaria. Further, we all know (from being in crypto at least) that when there is high demand for something, and demand outstrips supply, then the price rises and whomever is willing to pay the most gets the product. The US has the most money. Trump's actions are taking proven life-saving medicine from poor Indians and giving it to rich Americans, whom it may or may not benefit.
This isn't black and white of course, Trump is acting to protect his citizens, which is his job, and he would be remiss in his duty not to do this. Also we don't know if India genuinely needs all of this medicine or whether they have a huge surplus. It would be unusual (unprecedented?) for Modi to actually have the moral high ground in any interaction. I'm not saying Trump is wrong, I'm just trying to highlight the complexity of the situation.
