【By Observer News, Wang Yi】"If India wants to be seen as a strategic partner of the United States, it needs to start acting like the U.S."

On August 18 local time, Peter Navarro, the senior advisor on trade and manufacturing for President Trump, published an article in the UK's Financial Times strongly criticizing India's "buying Russian oil to fund the Russia-Ukraine conflict," and hinted that if India continues to "huddle with Russia and China," the U.S. will no longer supply it with advanced military technology.

Navarro's comment article is filled with dissatisfaction towards India. He not only criticized India for closing its doors to American goods with high tariffs and trade barriers, but also pointed out that India uses the huge trade deficit with the U.S. to buy Russian oil. Navarro also refuted India's previous statements, claiming that its purchase of Russian oil was not driven by domestic demand, but rather for the profit of Indian oil giants.

Navarro criticized India's purchase of Russian oil as "speculative and highly corrosive," stating that the country exports more than half of the Russian oil it imports, "effectively acting as a global clearing house for Russian oil, converting sanctioned crude into high-value products for export while providing Russia with the required dollars."

Additionally, Navarro warned that India's defense is highly dependent on Russia, which supplies 36% of its weapons. Although India is also seeking to purchase military equipment from the U.S., France, and Israel, it often demands that U.S. companies build factories in India and transfer sensitive military technologies, a practice that "undermines U.S. trade interests and poses the risk of transferring U.S. advanced military technology to an India that is currently huddling with Russia and China."

According to reports, when Prime Minister Modi visited the U.S. in February, Trump had proposed that India purchase F-35 stealth fighters from the U.S. However, recently, sources said that due to being shocked and disappointed by Trump's tariff threats, the Indian government is unlikely to purchase additional U.S. defense equipment and has informed the U.S. that it is not interested in purchasing F-35 stealth fighters.

In February this year, Modi met with Trump at the White House. Visual China

In the end of the article, Navarro wrote smugly, saying that the previous Biden administration largely ignored India's "geopolitical madness," while the Trump administration "is facing it directly," and "the president recently issued an executive order imposing a 25% national security tariff on Indian goods," which will "cut off India's access to the U.S. market and cut off its financial lifeline."

On August 6, Trump signed an executive order, citing India's "direct or indirect import of Russian oil," to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods exported to the U.S., which will take effect on the 27th. After implementation, the overall tariff rate on Indian goods in the U.S. will reach 50%, one of the highest among U.S. trade partners. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bensons said on the 13th that if the meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents does not go smoothly, the U.S. may further increase secondary tariffs.

On the 15th, Modi made a strong statement during his Independence Day speech, stating that India will protect the interests of farmers, fishermen, and other workers, resist any harmful policies, and "never compromise on issues of their interests."

The Indian Foreign Ministry previously stated in a statement that the U.S. tariffs imposed on India are "unfair, unjust, and unreasonable." The U.S. and the EU are still buying Russian goods, while India is being punished, "India will take all necessary actions to protect national interests."

In recent times, several senior officials in the Trump administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, Bensons, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have criticized India's relationship with Russia.

The continuous pressure from the Trump team has brought U.S.-India relations to the lowest point in nearly a decade. The Washington Post reported at the beginning of this month that India's relationship with Russia is built on "trust and emotion," while its relationship with the U.S. is "mutual suspicion." After Trump announced the additional 25% tariff, the Modi government began to retaliate.

Analysts say that Modi is unlikely to cut ties with Russia, and the U.S. expecting "India to completely burn its relationship with Russia is foolish," so the U.S. can only give up its relationship with India.

Al Jazeera reported on the 18th that India has been cultivating its relationship with the U.S. over the past few decades, elevating bilateral relations to a strategic level, with annual bilateral trade around $128 billion. The U.S. sees India as a bastion against China, but Trump's recent actions have pushed India toward China. Modi will visit China at the end of August, and Chinese officials will also visit India soon to hold consultations on disputed issues.

Meanwhile, U.S.-India trade negotiations are stuck. A senior Indian official told Press Trust of India (PTI) that the U.S. delegation, originally scheduled to visit India on the 25th to conduct the next round of negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement, is expected to delay the meeting.

The Indian Express said that the postponement or rescheduling of the talks is crucial, as the U.S. has already imposed punitive tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods. The U.S. is demanding expanded market access in sensitive areas such as agriculture and dairy products, but India cannot accept this request, saying it would threaten the livelihoods of small farmers and marginal farmers in India.

The Hindustan Times noted on the 18th that former U.S. government officials have questioned the recent pressure on India by the Trump administration. Evan Feigebbaum, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia in the Bush administration, criticized that the fact that Navarro's article was published indicates that he received authorization from the Secretary of State or other senior officials, whether they agree with the views or just don't care. The U.S.'s recent policy towards India is a "strange narrative arc" and a "strategic misstep."

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