Former UK Foreign Minister William Hague has strongly criticised the Trump administration’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods, warning that such actions could push New Delhi away from Washington. During a ‘Times Radio’ podcast, Hague said that Trump’s pampering of the Pakistani Army has irked India and New Delhi will choose to work with someone else if bullied by any country.
Trump Outraging India
The former British minister said that India can’t be bullied with tariffs. “India is a proudly independent nation and civilisation. You have to treat it like that. If you start bullying India with 50% tariffs, it won’t back down. It will go to work with somebody else. And if you treat Pakistan and the Pakistani army in particular, in a very warm way, which President Trump has done for some reason, that is really outrageous for India, a country with a long history of war with Pakistan. So, this is pushing India away (from the United States),” Hague said.
He noted that previous US Presidents had worked consistently to strengthen relations with India, but the goodwill built over the years appears to be eroding under Trump’s approach. Hague further cautioned that this diplomatic strain is giving China greater space to consolidate its geopolitical influence.
American Analyst Slams Trump
American analyst Ed Price said that if India, China and Russia collaborate in any meaningful way, it would hurt America badly. “If India, China and Russia get together in any sort of alliance, America will not be able to compete in the 21st century,” said Price.
Reacting to India’s ties with China, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “The SCO meeting is largely performative. At the end of the day, India is the most populous democracy in the world. Their values are much closer to ours and to China’s than to Russia.”
Reason Behind American Tariffs
While the United States has blamed India’s Russian oil purchase for imposing tariffs, analysts question if that is the case, Trump should have imposed tariffs on China and Turkey as well. Several reports have claimed that Trump is upset with India not nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, while others claim that Trump is looking for his family’s business gain with Pakistan and is thus, ignoring India ties.