Nikki Haley warns Trump: Scuttling US-India relations would be a 'strategic disaster'

As relations between India and the United States have nosedived over the last few weeks, following President Donald Trump's announcement of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has issued a strong warning against antagonising New Delhi.

In an opinion piece published in Newsweek, Haley said India’s rise does not threaten the free world, “unlike Communist-controlled China". 

The Republican admits that India’s massive oil purchase from Russia helps to fund Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. But she noted that Beijing has thus far avoided any sanctions despite being one of Russia’s largest customers. 

“If that disparity does not demand a closer look at US-India relations, the realities of hard power should. Scuttling 25 years of momentum with the only country that can serve as a counterweight to Chinese dominance in Asia would be a strategic disaster,” she wrote.

Haley asserted that in the short term, India’s help is essential for the United States to move its critical supply chains away from China.

“While the Trump administration works to bring manufacturing back to our shores, India stands alone in its potential to manufacture at China-like scale for products that can't be quickly or efficiently produced here, like textiles, inexpensive phones, and solar panels,” she said.

Haley’s opinion piece comes days before the 50 per cent tariff announced by Trump on Indian goods kicks in on August 26. India has termed the US move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable” and said New Delhi will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests. 

Haley, in her article, noted that India's expanding defence ties with the US, Israel, and other American allies make it a crucial asset to the free world's security, and a growing market for US defence equipment and cooperation. She also claimed that New Delhi’s growing clout and security involvement in the Middle East was essential for the stability of the region.

Pointing out India’s huge population and the rapidly growing economy, the US official said New Delhi’s rise should be seen as one of the greatest obstacles to China's goal of reshaping the global order.

“Simply put, China's ambitions will have to shrink as India's power grows,” she asserted, while noting that New Delhi and Beijing are unfriendly neighbours that have conflicting economic interests and ongoing territorial disputes.