America needs India to counter China in Indo-Pacific: Former US adviser Mary Kissel stresses partnership

Washington: Former US adviser Mary Kissel has underscored India's crucial role in the United States' strategy for countering China's rising influence in the Indo-Pacific, asserting that Washington cannot confront Beijing alone. In an interview with Fox News, Kissel highlighted the necessity of a robust India-US partnership, especially in the context of recent economic tensions over Washington’s imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, supplemented by an additional 25 per cent due to New Delhi's purchases of Russian crude oil.

“If we are really serious about considering Communist China the greatest threat to the United States and our way of life, we need India. It's just a fact. We can't fight them alone in the Asia-Pacific,” Kissel stated, calling for deeper strategic cooperation.

Her remarks followed the conclusion of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to an official Ministry of External Affairs statement, PM Modi and Xi acknowledged their nations' roles in stabilising global trade and expressed appreciation for the positive momentum in their relationship since the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

During talks with President Putin, Modi highlighted the longstanding and resilient ties between India and Russia. Kissel also noted that India's engagement at the SCO summit would present challenges for the Trump administration in formulating strategies to deal with China's assertiveness, stating, “We need the heft of not just Australia, not just our friends in Japan, but also India. This meeting highlights a major challenge for the Trump administration.”

With inputs from ANI