Haley warns Trump: Treat India as a ‘prized democratic partner’ warns of ‘strategic disaster’

Nikki Haley urges Trump to treat India as "prized free, democratic" partner

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has cautioned that relations between the United States and India are nearing a breaking point and require urgent repair if Washington aims to counter China's growing global influence.

She stressed the importance of viewing India as a "prized free and democratic partner" in this effort. Haley warned that "scuttling 25 years of momentum" in ties with New Delhi would be a "strategic disaster."

She also urged US President Donald Trump to recognize India's value in the broader strategy to contain China.

Nikki Haley said, “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, despite being one of Moscow's largest customers.”

“If that disparity does not demand a closer look at U.S.-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 said.

“Unlike Communist-controlled China, the rise of a democratic India does not threaten the free world. Partnership between the U.S. and India to counter China should be a no-brainer,” she added.

Nikki Haley highlighted India’s capacity to manufacture at a scale comparable to China, which she said could help the US shift critical supply chains away from Beijing.

"In the short term, India is essential in helping the United States 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 a China-like scale for products that can't be quickly or efficiently produced here, like textiles, inexpensive phones, and solar panels," Nikki Haley said in the opinion piece on Newsweek.

(With agency inputs)