'Don't play the American game... India is too big for a US game.'
Renowned economist and UN advisor Professor Jeffrey Sachs has warned India against becoming entangled in US geopolitical strategies, particularly amid rising tensions with China.
Speaking at the Rising Bharat Summit 2025 on Wednesday, Professor Sachs emphasised that India should not allow itself to be used as a tool in Washington's strategy to counter Beijing.
The United States, Professor Sachs said, wants India to criticise China, describing such moves as part of a broader American agenda.
He urged India to chart its own course in foreign policy.
"The US wants to use India to beat up China," Sachs said, adding, "Don't play the American game... India is too big for a US game."
He noted that Washington has long sought to pit nations against each other to preserve its global influence, with India now being positioned as a counterweight to China.
"The US wants to use India, clearly. It wants to use India to beat up China," Professor Sachs reiterated.
India and China, Professor Sachs acknowledged, have their own disputes but suggested that resolving them bilaterally would be in both countries' best interest.
"I know India and China have their own issues, but settle them," he said.
"Between the two of you, you're 40 per cent of the world's population, and you could actually help to run a very decent world together."
"Don't be pulled into it," he cautioned.
Strategic alliances like Quad serve US interests, not India's
Professor Sachs also criticised India's involvement in strategic groupings such as the Quad, suggesting that these alliances primarily serve US interests.
"So the US loves for India to be in the Quad. It wants India to bash China.
"I heard some Indian politicians recently saying, no, it's not Donald Trump's trade policy, it's all because of China.
"No, not exactly. It's actually because of Donald Trump. So just be careful not to play the game... India is too big for a US game," he said.
'US friendship often ends in turmoil'
Professor Sachs warned that the United States is driven by a deep-rooted fear of losing global dominance. He described US foreign policy as one centred on control, often at the expense of its allies.
"If you're a friend of the United States, beware. Very dangerous," Professor Sachs remarked.
"I've lived a whole lifetime in America declaring its friendship to countries that end up getting destroyed in part because of that wonderful friendship."
Professor Sachs also noted that both China and India have risen as major economies despite their colonial histories.
"India was the largest or second-largest economy in the world for centuries until the British arrived and did their job for quite a while," he said.
Rising India may face US resentment: Sachs
Professor Sachs suggested that as India climbs the global economic ladder, it may encounter the same resentment from the US that China currently faces.
"Americans hate China. They hate China -- how dare you have a bigger economy than the United States?
"This violates every rule according to American thinking, and they will come to resent India, I'm sorry to tell you, as you overtake the United States too," he said.
India on track to become world's largest economy
Despite geopolitical tensions, Professor Sachs expressed optimism about India's future.
"India is doing wonderfully," he said, crediting the country's leadership and policies for its rapid growth.
He predicted that India would overtake the US as the world's second-largest economy within 10 to 15 years and could become the largest economy by the latter half of the 21st century.
India's inclusion in UN Security Council
Professor Sachs also urged that India be made a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
"How can we have a Security Council without India being a permanent member? It makes no sense at all," he said.
US has become a one-man show
Professor Sachs criticised US President Donald Trump and the unilateral economic decisions made since he took office in January.
He described Trump's executive orders as unprecedented and destabilising.
Referring to recent tariffs on China and other countries, Professor Sachs said, "For the first time in American history, we are in a one-man show right now... It wasn't a vote of Congress, it wasn't even a discussion in Congress.
"It was literally an executive order."
India-China diplomatic and trade relations
India and China, traditionally rivals but key trade partners, made significant progress in de-escalating border tensions last year -- conflicts that had escalated since 2020.
This diplomatic breakthrough marked a new chapter in bilateral ties. However, India remains heavily reliant on Chinese imports.
India's trade deficit with China surged to $85.1 billion in the financial year 2023-2024.
China remains India's top source of imports, with the value of inbound goods rising 9.8 per cent year-on-year to $65.89 billion between April and October 2024.
In contrast, India's exports to China declined by 9.37 per cent to $8 billion during the same period, according to commerce ministry data.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
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