India must be involved to stop China, warns Trump; Nikki Haley enumerates India's importance

 

 

Washington: Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has warned that India and the US must strengthen their ties to stop China's growing global influence. She said that the punitive tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on India over Russian oil deals are damaging the relationship between the two countries. Haley made this clear in an article in Newsweek published on Wednesday.

Haley said that India should not be treated as an adversary like China and that the Trump administration should not allow the two countries to become estranged over tariffs and the US's role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire.

In the past few weeks, major events have taken place in India-US relations. The Trump administration has imposed a 25 percent tariff on India for buying Russian oil. This is in addition to the 25 percent duty that the US had previously imposed on Indian products. This raised tariffs on Indian products to 50 percent. Relations between the two countries have been strained for months after India refused to accept the US's role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire talks.

"Improving the US-India relationship is critical to achieving the Trump administration's foreign policy goals of countering China and building strength through peace," Haley wrote.

India should be seen as a valuable partner

Haley, a Republican, has remained a critic of Trump even after endorsing him in his 2024 presidential bid. She argued that India should not be seen as an adversary, like China, which has not faced sanctions for buying Russian oil, but rather as a valuable, independent, democratic partner. India is the only country in Asia that can act as a bulwark against Chinese hegemony. She warned that destroying the relationship that has lasted for the past 25 years would be a major strategic disaster.

Haley also pointed out that Washington's short-term goal is to help India shift supplies of critical goods away from China. India has the ability to produce products that the US cannot produce at the same level as China, such as textiles, cheap phones, and solar panels.