Donald Trump may not be too kind toward foreigners or immigrants when he's on the campaign trail, but there are still groups of Chinese and Indians — both in the United States and in Asia — who support the Republican presidential candidate.

Make no mistake: The vast majority of Asian-Americans favor Hillary Clinton. According to the National Asian American Survey for Fall 2016, Clinton enjoys an almost 4-to-1 advantage over Trump — 55 percent vs. 14 percent — with about 1 in 5 still undecided.

Indian Americans tend to lean left, fitting the larger trend among Americans of Asian descent. But a growing number of Hindu Indians support Trump because of his anti-Muslim rhetoric — and Trump has capitalized on this.

In a speech in New Jersey, Trump pledged that he would support Indians and crack down against Muslim extremism. Those strong words from Trump resonated with many Indians, who have seen their country repeatedly struck by terrorism, the most significant example being the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 which killed more than 200 people.

A vocal, right-wing political group, Hindu Sena, called Trump a "hero," due in part to his ability to "save humanity from Islam and Islamic terror."

Trump's commentary also comes at a time when tensions have been elevated between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir.

"Most US leaders in the past have had a pro-Pakistan tilt … so Trump's pro-India comments have been cheered by the

Share Market Live

NSE

Trump's rhetoric toward India stand in contrast to what he's said about China, which he criticizes for stealing American jobs, using corrupt trading practices and manipulating its currency.

Trump's unforgiving rhetoric is being watched closely by leaders and citizens of China. Steve Orlins, president of the National Committee on US-China Relations and a former managing director at asset management firm Carlyle Asia, said Chinese express worry that Trump's policies, if implemented, would send the world economy into a downward spiral.

"I don't have a sense that many Chinese support Trump. The ones I speak with are deeply offended by his rhetoric and believe he creates his own reality," said Orlins, who just returned from a trip to China.

That said, a few individuals on the ground in Beijing confess that Trump does have some fans there.

In a country run by a communist one-party system, where individual expression is discouraged, and where debates are not even allowed, some Chinese find Trump's bold comments liberating — or at the very least, entertaining.

"Trump is in many ways the diametric opposite of a typical Chinese bureaucrat: brash, confrontational and unapologetically egocentric, whose main rhetorical line is that through him, you (the voter) will retrieve your lost pride in your country," said Gilliam Hamilton, head of NSBO China Policy Research in Beijing.

"My

First Published:Oct 31, 2016 12:18 PM IST