China has taken a spin for a “naive” America and its leaders for the past few decades, according to former top Indian-American diplomat Nikki Haley, who said the Trump administration through its robust Indo-Pacific strategy is now learning who are your true friends. They are.
Speaking at the 3rd India-US Leadership Summit Hosted virtually by the US India Strategy and Partnership Forum (USISPF), former US Ambassador to the UN Haley said Tuesday that Americans know Indians are not a threat to them. And as such, it is time for the Indians to share their success story.
The United States has been pushing for India to play a bigger role in the strategic Indo-Pacific, which many countries see as an effort to contain China’s growing influence in the region.
“Let’s recognize how China did it. China was very strategic. This was highly planned and the United States was very naive. Thought leaders in America thought that if we were kind to China, if we opened the doors to China, it would become more like the West, that China would become more democratic, ”Haley said. Responding to a question from Mastercard Chairman and CEO Ajay Banga said this was from both sides of the aisle: Republican and Democratic leaders, all of whom thought that if the United States was kind to China, there would be an alliance.
What the United States has to understand is that the Chinese want to be communists and that they are not going to change, said the 48-year-old former diplomat.
“Through this Indo-Pacific strategy, in the future, the United States is learning who its true friends are. When you learn that, yes, it is India. But now the Indians need to go and show more who they are, ”he said.
Explaining, he said that when people come across Indian businesses, a teacher or an Indian doctor, they see the warmth, intelligence and genuine side of them, and they want to know more. “What we have to do is not be shy. But really go out there and show off ourselves. Now is the time for Indians to be proud, feel good talking about those achievements and be good talking about their successes and let the children talk about their achievements. That’s really important in the future because … we have to make sure we go to the next level, ”said Haley, whose parents immigrated from Amritsar in Punjab. “Americans don’t feel threatened by Indians and they realize that Indians improve our country,” he said.
Haley is considered one of the main contenders for the Republican ticket to the US presidential race in 2024. Responding to a question, Haley stated that the Indo-Pacific strategy of the Trump administration has been a true game changer for the relationship between India and the United States. “When this administration adopted the Indo-Pacific strategy, it was a real game changer for many reasons. I had often thought that the United States seemed to ally a little more with Pakistan and a little less with India, “he said.
“It makes sense for the United States and India to be natural allies. We have the same values … ”he said, adding that President Donald Trump saw that too.
“The Indo-Pacific strategy was one that recognized something that should have been there all along, and that is that the United States and India should be natural allies,” Haley said.
The Indo-Pacific strategy, the former diplomat said, also recognized that the United States and India face the same threat from China. “So it was a way of saying that we are going to start to see things differently. We’ve seen that develop with the alliance that we see with the United States, India, Australia, and Japan (a reference to the Quad group of countries). We continue to see that strengthening, ”he said.
From a military point of view, the United States and India have done well, Haley said, noting that the two countries still have work to do on trade. “I hope we can break down some of those barriers that India has with tariffs on the United States. We will also get there, ”he said optimistically.
“This has been innovative for a number of reasons. We have to keep building on that because looking at the mutual threats that we have, whether it’s with China or what India has seen with Pakistan and in the future, I think it’s one more reason why we should find other ways to strengthen ourselves. and work together, ”Haley said.
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