'Totally ignorant about India-China engagement': Ex-foreign secretary slams Navarro

Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Tuesday criticised White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro, calling him “totally ignorant” about the scale of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s engagement with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Didn't know Navarro was a long-distance mind reader. He is totally ignorant about the India-China highest level engagement," Sibal wrote. "Modi has met Xi 18 times after becoming PM in 2014. This includes bilateral visits and meetings on the sidelines of international summits. Modi visited China five times and Xi has visited India twice. There have been two informal summits between the two leaders. Last the two leaders had met was in Kazan at the BRICS summit. The SCO meeting was a follow-up to that. We know our issues with China and how we should handle them. Our troops are still facing each other in Ladakh."

His remarks came after Navarro suggested that Modi did not feel comfortable sharing a stage with Chinese leaders during his recent visit. Speaking to CNBC, Navarro said, "And watching (Prime Minister) Modi on a stage with China, which has been its long-term existential threat. And Putin, that was an interesting stretch. I don't think he felt comfortable doing it."

Navarro also reiterated criticism of India's energy ties with Moscow. "And by the way, there's this issue of India buying Russian oil, which it never did. You understand this. It never did that before 2022. I mean, the Indian refiners got in bed with the Russian refiners immediately after the invasion, and they're making out like bandits. I mean, it's like it's crazy stuff because they make money off of us in unfair trade. Then they use that money to buy Russian oil, and then the Russians use that to buy weapons. And then we, as taxpayers, have to pay more for this, for the defence of Ukraine. And so how can that be?" Navarro said.

He has repeatedly accused India of acting as a "global clearinghouse" for Russian crude, refining it into finished products and exporting it to global markets. Navarro has described the practice as "blood money" and argued it helps finance Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Sibal's rebuttal highlighted India's sustained diplomatic outreach to Beijing despite border tensions. He pointed to multiple summits and high-level meetings between Modi and Xi, underscoring New Delhi’s ability to manage its relationship with China on its own terms. "We know our issues with China and how we should handle them," he said.

Navarro's comments come at a time when U.S. officials and analysts are divided over India's balancing act with Russia and China. Modi's participation alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO meeting has unsettled sections of the U.S. foreign policy establishment, with some critics blaming Trump's approach for straining relations with New Delhi.