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John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to the US President, has described the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit as important for bilateral ties, while sharply criticising the Trump administration's tariff policy.
In an interview with ANI, Bolton said that although the meeting in France did not appear to produce major deliverables, it was significant that the two leaders met in person after more than a year and a half. "Well, it's not clear that very much constructive came out of it, any deliverables, as they say, but I do think it was important for Trump and Modi to meet again. Trump has always believed he has a good personal relationship with Modi, and I am hoping that the trade issues, the tariff issues, can be put behind us," Bolton said. Expressing his opposition to Trump's tariff strategy, Bolton said the policy had been unfairly applied to India and risked distracting both countries from larger strategic challenges. "I personally am opposed to Trump's tariff program. I think it's a big mistake around the world. From the US perspective, it's been particularly unfairly applied to India, much more so than to China," he said. The Trump administration levied 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. However, after reaching an interim trade agreement, Trump removed the additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India and lowered the Reciprocal Tariff to 18 per cent. Meanwhile, Bolton stressed that India and the United States should move beyond trade disputes and focus on the broader strategic challenge posed by China. "And what I really hope comes for the first time is a strategic discussion between Trump and Modi on how to deal with the Chinese threat. It always, in the past, in the first term and so far in Trump's second term, gets lost in a discussion of trade issues," he said. According to Bolton, China's ambitions across the Indo-Pacific represent one of the defining geopolitical challenges of the 21st century, making closer cooperation between Washington and New Delhi increasingly important. "China's aspirations for hegemony along the Indo-Pacific periphery are really one of the major issues, if not the major issue of the 21st century, which is why it seems to me that closer relations between India and the United States are so critical," he said. Bolton also disagreed with suggestions that the world is moving toward a US-China "G2" framework, warning that such an approach could sideline key partners such as India. "I think it's a dangerous sidelining of India," he said, adding that tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and along the Line of Actual Control demonstrate the growing scope of the challenge posed by Beijing. The former National Security Advisor further advocated a stronger and more proactive role for the Quad grouping, comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia. Asked whether the Quad should move beyond diplomatic engagement, Bolton said there were significant opportunities for deeper cooperation. "I do think it has to go beyond diplomacy. And I think it's an opportunity to be creative. Nobody's trying to use this to recreate NATO in the Asia-Pacific; it's a very different environment, but there are multiple ways in which countries can cooperate," he said. Bolton suggested that cooperation among Quad members should include intelligence-sharing, military coordination and broader security consultations. "I would hope that we could have meetings on many levels among intelligence professionals, with the militaries, in many ways that would be helpful going forward," he said. He also proposed involving other regional partners in selected Quad activities. "I think there are others in the region that could be invited to participate in it as well, at least for some activities, South Korea, for example, Singapore," Bolton said. The remarks come after Prime Minister Modi and President Trump held talks on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. During their interaction, Trump praised PM Modi, describing him as a "tough negotiator" and highlighting the strong personal rapport the two leaders have maintained over the years through engagements such as the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston and the "Namaste Trump" programme in Ahmedabad. Bolton said that despite disagreements over trade, the larger strategic imperative for both democracies remains the need to coordinate their response to China's expanding influence across the Indo-Pacific region. "We either address it together, or we're going to have to address it separately, which is not ideal," he said. (ANI)
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