Rama Krishna Sangem
Apparently, US President Donald Trump doesn’t like Prime Minister Narendra Modi going to China for SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit at Tianjin on August 31 and Sept4ember 1. In Tianjin, Modi will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping, Russian president Putin, besides Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian too. This is not at all liked by Trump. In Trump’s view, they are all anti-US.
We can understand this unease in the White House for the last few days through the statements of some key aides of Trump. White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro is one of them. Whatever he says or writes will have the approval of Trump or almost it is official stand of the US. Trump and his aides don’t like global groupings like BRICS and SCO, as they are seen as anti-American and attempts to weaken the US dollar.
Navarro labelled the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war,” claiming it was New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian energy that was fuelling Moscow’s military aggression. Pressuring India to halt Russian trade, he said New Delhi could see a 25 per cent reduction in US tariffs if it stops buying discounted crude from Moscow.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Navarro referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi.”
The remarks came after Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods took effect earlier Wednesday, a bid the US President has linked to New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. It doubled the existing 25 per cent US duty imposed earlier this month. Navarro claimed Moscow used money from New Delhi’s ‘discounted’ crude purchase to “fund its war machine.” That, in turn, has taxed US resources in the form of requests from Kyiv for arms and funding, he argued.
“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. The consumers and businesses and everything lose, and workers lose because India’s high tariffs cost us jobs, and factories, and income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi’s war,” Navarro said.
Indians so arrogant
“What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this. They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. Oh, it’s our sovereignty. We can buy oil from anyone we want…India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, OK, act like one,” Navarro said.
The US imposed punitive levies on India despite months of talks between New Delhi and Washington. While India was one of the first nations to enter tariff talks with the Trump team, the two nations have not been able to reach a deal so far.
The Trump adviser accused New Delhi of helping Moscow’s war effort. “By purchasing Russian oil at a discount, Russia uses the money it gets to fund its war machine to kill more Ukrainians,” he said, echoing the US President’s similar remarks on the issue.
Tokyo visit of Modi
Trump’s dislike to Modi going to China could be one of the reasons for clubbing the latter’s tour with that of Tokyo. Modi going to Tokyo for 15th summit of India-Japan might lessen the anger of Trump against New Delhi.
