Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned on Friday that recent American policies risked pushing India increasingly closer to China. He lambasted the Donald Trump administration for undoing decades of bipartisan efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries. The remarks came even as the 50% tariffs imposed by the POTUS came into effect and Indian exporters braced for a $48.2 billion hit.
“Here’s a country we were trying to build a deeper and more sustainable relationship with. Now you have President Trump executing a massive trade offensive against them, and the Indians are saying: Well, maybe we have to show up in Beijing and sit with the Chinese because we’ve got to hedge against America,” Sullivan told The Bulwark podcast.
‘American brand globally in the toilet’
The Joe Biden-era NSA also dubbed the 50% tariff imposed on Indian exports a “massive trade offensive” that was undermining the credibility of Washington among allies. Sullivan alleged that the US was increasingly being viewed as an ‘unpredictable’ partner that had broken bipartisan consensus with its latest moves against India.
“When I go to these places now and I talk to leaders, they are talking about derisking from the US. They now see the US as the big disruptor, the country that can’t be counted on. China has moved ahead of the US in popularity in a whole lot of countries… the American brand globally is in the toilet…One year ago, China was on the defensive. Now, countries are basically saying the US can’t be counted on, and China is looking like the adult in the room,” he added.
Modi set to meet Xi Jinping
The remarks also came days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China — for the first time in more than seven years. This will be his first trip to the country since the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 left ties between the two neighbours severely strained. Modi had previously met Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024.
China has also been vocal in its support since the tariffs were announced in early August — with its ambassador to India calling Washington a “bully”. Xu Feihong has shared multiple posts opposing the steep tariffs imposed by the US and criticised the use of levies as a bargaining chip to extract excessive concessions.