Don’t give China pass, burn relationship with ‘strong ally’ India: Nikki Haley

The U.S. should not burn its relationship with a “strong ally like India” and give a pass to China, Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley said on Tuesday (August 5, 2025), amid President Donald Trump’s attacks against New Delhi over tariffs and purchases of Russian oil.

“India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause,” Ms. Haley said in a post on X.

“Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India,” she said.

Ms. Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina, was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Trump’s first presidential term, becoming the first Indian-American to be appointed to a cabinet-level post in the U.S. administration.

In 2013, she officially announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election and withdrew from the race in March last year.  Her comments came hours after Trump said India has not been a “good trading partner” and announced he will raise tariffs on India “very substantially over the next 24 hours” because New Delhi is buying Russian oil and “fueling” the “war machine”.

India on Monday mounted an unusually sharp counterattack on the US and the European Union for their “unjustified and unreasonable” targeting of New Delhi for its procurement of Russian crude oil.

New Delhi’s response came after Mr. Trump asserted that Washington would substantially raise tariffs on goods from India over its energy ties with Russia.

Meanwhile, Mr/ Trump, in an interview with CNBC responded to a question on China and its leader, Xi Jinping, and said, “We have a very good relationship”.

Mr. Trump added that he might have a meeting with the Chinese President “before the end of the year, most likely, if we make a deal.”

He said he won’t have a meeting if a deal doesn’t materialise.

“But we’re getting very close to a deal. We’re getting along with China very well.”

Mr. Trump added that China is “very reliant” on the U.S. “My relationship with them is very good. I think we’ll make a good deal. It’s not imperative, but I think we’re going to make a good deal.”

He added that he has had a “great relationship” with President Xi. “We respect him a lot. They respect us a lot.”