Peter Navarro Criticizes PM Modi Over SCO Summit Camaraderie With Xi, Putin; US Embassy Reaffirms Strong Ties With India:

Former White House trade advisor and known pro-tariff hardliner Peter Navarro is once again making headlines — this time for taking a swipe at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Reacting sharply to visuals of Modi sharing a warm moment with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, Navarro labeled the scene "shameful." “It was a shame to see Modi getting in bed — as a leader of the biggest democracy in the world — with the two biggest authoritarians in the world in Putin and Xi Jinping,” Navarro told reporters on Monday. “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, particularly since India has been in a cold war — and at times a hot war — with China for decades.” Navarro, who served as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing under former US President Donald Trump, is no stranger to controversial statements about India. In the past, he has referred to the country as the “maharaja of tariffs” and a “laundromat of Russia,” even going as far as calling the Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war.” His latest jab includes a controversial claim that “Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.” Despite Navarro’s remarks, the current US administration appears to be taking a more diplomatic and measured tone. On the same day as the SCO Summit, the US Embassy in India reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral relationship between Washington and New Delhi. In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), the embassy quoted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling the US-India partnership “a defining relationship of the 21st century.” “The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights,” the post read. “From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it’s the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey.” The embassy also launched a campaign under the hashtag #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople to highlight ongoing collaboration. The SCO Summit, meanwhile, generated significant buzz online and in international media, largely due to powerful visuals of Modi, Xi, and Putin engaging in seemingly warm and candid interactions. The leaders were seen shaking hands, exchanging smiles, and holding one-on-one conversations — a rare public display of camaraderie given the complex geopolitical dynamics among the three nations. However, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent played down the significance of the summit. Speaking to Fox News, Bessent described the event as “largely performative.” “This is a longstanding meeting — it’s called the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — and I think it's mostly symbolic,” Bessent said. “At the end of the day, India is the most populous democracy in the world. Their values are much closer to ours than to Russia’s.” As global alliances continue to shift and evolve, the balancing act for nations like India becomes increasingly delicate. While figures like Navarro question India’s optics on the world stage, Washington’s official messaging continues to promote collaboration, shared values, and a vision for mutual growth

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