Former US State Department adviser Mary Kissel has underscored India’s critical role in countering China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific, stressing that Washington cannot confront Beijing alone without New Delhi’s partnership.
In an interview with Fox News, Kissel, who served as senior adviser to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said a robust India-US relationship was essential despite ongoing trade frictions, including Washington’s 50 percent tariff on Indian imports and an additional 25 percent duty linked to New Delhi’s Russian crude purchases.
“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 remarked.
Her comments came after the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council summit in Tianjin, China, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Modi and Xi recognised the stabilising role of the Indian and Chinese economies in global trade, while also noting positive momentum in bilateral ties since their meeting at the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024.
In his talks with Putin, Modi reaffirmed the strength of India-Russia relations, highlighting how the two nations have consistently stood “shoulder to shoulder” even during challenging times.
Kissel suggested that India’s balancing act at the SCO summit could present difficulties for the Trump administration in addressing Beijing’s assertiveness. “We need the heft of not just Australia, not just our friends in Japan, but also India. I think this meeting is highlighting a major challenge for the Trump administration,” she said.
