Former US National Security Advisor and Trump aide John Bolton has strongly criticised the President’s tariff policy, saying it has “shredded” decades of Western efforts to steer India away from its Soviet-era ties and counter the rising threat from China.
John Bolton also accused Donald Trump of undermining hard-won strategic gains with his tariff policy, warning that it has given China’s Xi Jinping fresh leverage to reshape the balance of power in the region.
In a series of posts on X, Donald Trump said, “The West has spent decades trying to wean India away from its Cold War attachment to the Soviet Union/ Russia, and cautioning India on the threat posed by China. Donald Trump has shredded decades of efforts with his disastrous tariff policy.”
“Donald Trump’s unwillingness to consider diplomatic moves in a larger strategic context has given Xi Jinping an opportunity to reset the East.”
His comments have come days after Donald Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on India, later imposing an additional 25 per cent for its businesses with Russia.
Russia has been bombarding neighbouring Ukraine since February 2022 and Donald Trump has taken upon himself to end the war – a reason why he has imposed additional tariffs on India.
John Bolton is a former American government official who served as national security adviser (2018-19) to Donald Trump in his first stint as US President. He later resigned from his position over differences with Trump on the administration’s foreign policy at that time.
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New Delhi is facing global uncertainties due to heightened economic tensions following the US imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, which was supplemented by an additional 25 per cent due to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian crude oil.
Bolton’s remarks followed the conclusion of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council summit in Tianjin, China, during which Prime Minister Modi held bilateral engagements with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.
(With agency inputs)
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