'US must treat India as key partner, not adversary like China': Nikki Haley warns Trump

Haley has urged both sides to prevent trade disputes from overshadowing broader strategic goals.

Alienating India at a time of rising Chinese assertiveness would be a “strategic disaster," warns former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She has urged Washington to focus on strengthening ties with New Delhi despite recent trade frictions.

Notably, Haley’s remarks come just a few days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods.

Writing in an opinion piece co-authored with Bill Drexel of the Hudson Institute, Haley argued that the U.S. and India must work more closely to counter China.

“Partnership between the US and India to counter China should be a no-brainer,” she writes.

India must take Trump's point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.

Decades of friendship and good will between the world's two largest democracies provide a solid basis to move past the current turbulence.… — Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 23, 2025

The former envoy, voicing her opinion in the Newsweek published August 20, underlined that, unlike China, India’s rise does not threaten the free world.

“It would serve America’s interests to help India stand up to China,” Haley notes, pointing to the two nations’ history of cooperation, including President Ronald Reagan’s 1982 state dinner for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, where he toasted the friendship of “two proud, free peoples.”

She then highlights that this relationship has now reached a “troubling inflection point.”

While acknowledging India’s continued Russian oil purchases and its protectionist trade policies, Haley cautioned the U.S. against equating New Delhi with adversaries.

"India must be treated like the prized free and democratic partner that it is – not an adversary like China, which has thus far avoided sanctions for its Russian oil purchases,” she writes.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration hit Indian goods with steep tariffs, slapping a 25% penalty tied to New Delhi’s Russian oil and defence purchases.

Haley, in his piece, also highlighted India’s growing role in US foreign policy across multiple fronts. She said India could help Washington shift critical supply chains away from China in the near term, given its capacity to manufacture at scale.

Furthermore, the ex-envoy also pointed to New Delhi’s expanding defence ties with the US, Israel, and other allies, calling it a “crucial asset to the free world’s security.” India’s geographic position, at the heart of China’s trade and energy routes, could complicate Beijing’s strategy in any future conflict, she added.

Looking ahead, Haley cited India’s demographic edge, noting that it overtook China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, with a younger workforce compared to China’s aging population. “Simply put, China’s ambitions will have to shrink as India’s power grows,” she argued.

Haley has urged both sides to prevent trade disputes from overshadowing broader strategic goals. Calling for direct talks between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, she said the priority should be to “reverse the downward spiral.”

“The United States should not lose sight of what matters most -- our shared goals,” Haley wrote. “To face China, the United States must have a friend in India.”

Meanwhile, the White House, on Wednesday, justified Trump’s decision to impose steep duties, stating that Washington has responded to New Delhi's discounted Russian oil imports and high tariff barriers, which US officials say disadvantage American businesses.

According to officials, the measure is aimed at pressuring New Delhi to reduce reliance on Russian crude and open its markets wider to American goods.

New Delhi has responded sharply.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the tariffs as “unjustified,” framing them as an attack on India’s strategic autonomy.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Saturday, speaking at a forum, also defended India’s Russian oil imports, saying, “If you don’t like it, don’t buy it,” while emphasising that policy decisions are guided by national interests, particularly those of farmers and small producers.

India, in another retaliatory move on Saturday, also announced a temporary suspension of all postal services to the U.S. starting August 25, citing new US customs regulations set to take effect later this month. Under the rules, all postal items sent to the US will attract customs duties beginning August 29, except for gift consignments worth up to $100.