【By Observer Net, Liu Bai】

Recently, the "glass friendship" between the U.S. and India has cracked, while the Sino-Indian relationship continues to warm up. In a report published on August 15, Jeffrey Sachs, a professor of economics at Columbia University and former senior advisor to the United Nations, told Indian media NDTV that the actions taken by U.S. President Trump against India should serve as a warning to Indian officials. India should not allow itself to be used by the United States to counter China, and those who hope that the U.S. will suppress China so that India can replace China are "unrealistic."

Sachs pointed out that the approach of U.S. President Trump on issues such as tariffs has significant flaws.

"In general, it is illegal in the United States for one person to decide which countries pay which tariffs. If you look at our Constitution, Article I, Section 8 states that tariffs are the responsibility of the U.S. Congress. But Trump keeps declaring national emergencies, and from a legal perspective, these actions are outrageous and ineffective. This should not exist in the United States."

Sachs admitted that the 50% tariffs imposed by Trump on India could affect the bilateral relations carefully built over the past few decades.

On August 2, in the suburbs of Varanasi, India, Prime Minister Modi attended the inauguration of multiple projects. Visual China

"There will certainly be negative consequences, but this only confirms what I have been saying to my Indian friends for years: the U.S. will use other countries, but it will not take responsibility for them, so be careful. India should not allow itself to be used by the U.S., for example, do not get involved in the U.S.'s erroneous trade war against China."

Sachs said that the idea that India would become a substitute for China is unrealistic.

"Some people think that India will become a substitute for China. The U.S. will suppress China and then welcome India to replace China's supply chain. But I think this is unrealistic. The U.S. will not allow India to significantly expand its exports to the U.S., just as it does not allow China to do so now."

He said, "I think these events should serve as a warning to Indian officials, or make them stop and think. Of course, I am not saying that India should arbitrarily cut ties with the U.S., but it should not rely on the U.S."

"India needs to rely on a diversified set of partners - Russia, China, ASEAN, Africa, and other regions. Do not focus mainly on the U.S. market because the U.S. market will be unstable, slow-growing, and fundamentally protectionist."

He said that building a strong relationship between China and India in trade and technology investment will benefit both countries greatly.

"If you look at green energy, digital technology, artificial intelligence, or advanced chips, China is a very good partner for India."

"Of course, some may immediately argue that the Sino-Indian relationship is tense for other reasons. But personally, I believe these issues should be resolved, because it would be very beneficial for both great powers to truly establish a good economic, trade, investment, and financial relationship, which would also be beneficial for the world."

Regarding whether Trump's tariff increases on India would bring China and India closer together, Sachs believes there is indeed this possibility.

"It is absolutely possible. I think Trump is the biggest 'unifier' for other countries in the world, that's it. I think Trump is the biggest 'friend' of the BRICS countries. He attacks Brazil, Russia, India, and China at the same time, uniting all leaders together."

Regarding the issue of India purchasing Russian oil, Sachs said the key is that no one should decide who trades with whom.

"Unilateral measures by the U.S. are illegal under international law. Although it sounds a bit outdated now, we do have rules, we do have international law... I think, from the perspective of U.S. law, Trump's actions are not legal; from an international law perspective, they are also not legal. The U.S. should not interfere with India's trade with whom it chooses. The premise of U.S. sanctions on Russia and its partners is itself wrong, because the Ukraine conflict, in my view, was caused by the U.S., not by Russia."

"This is a conflict around NATO expansion, which is very important. The conflict can be traced back to 30 years of provocation by the U.S., because the U.S. is very arrogant, not only Trump, but the entire political class is like that. For 30 years, the U.S. has said, we can go anywhere we want, do whatever we want, including deploying military bases near Russia's border. That is the reason for the Ukraine conflict. Then, sanctioning India because of the U.S.'s provocation, this whole thing is too absurd."

Sachs is a renowned expert on global development issues, a professor of economics at Columbia University, director of the Center for Sustainable Development, director of the Harvard University Center for International Affairs, and a senior advisor to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, known as the "father of shock therapy."

He has repeatedly called on India to abandon its "align with the U.S. to counter China" strategy and instead develop relations with China. Earlier this month, when he spoke to the Hindustan Times, he also stated that in fact, U.S. politicians do not care about India, and India will not gain any security benefits by aligning with the U.S. to counter China.

It is worth noting that facing the cold shoulder from the U.S., Indian Prime Minister Modi has begun to emphasize "strategic autonomy" again. On August 7, India's National Security Advisor Duvall said in Moscow that India was "very pleased" to learn that Russian President Putin plans to visit India by the end of the year. On the 31st, Modi will also attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit in China, marking his first visit to China since 2018.

On the other hand, the British think tank Chatham House analyzed on the 12th that overall, despite the tensions in bilateral relations, the U.S. needs India to balance China, and India will see the U.S. as a key partner for technological, defense, and energy cooperation. In this context, India will still consider its relationship with the U.S. as a priority, even as it builds closer ties with countries like China and Russia.

"Trump has torn up India's original strategic roadmap, which may be replaced by strategic drift, alignment adjustment, or finally reconciliation," said Susant Singh, a lecturer in South Asian studies at Yale University. However, as the Rolling Stones song played at the stadium at the end of Modi's grand rally for Trump in 2020, it sings, "You can't always get what you want," and it has proven that faced with Trump, Modi couldn't get what he wanted, nor what India truly needed."

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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