Former US adviser Mary Kissel has underlined the importance of India in America’s geopolitical strategy, arguing that Washington cannot counter Beijing’s growing influence in Asia without New Delhi’s backing.

“If we are really serious about considering Communist China the greatest threat to the United States and our way of life, we need India,” Kissel said in an interview with Fox News. “It’s just a fact. We can’t fight them alone in the Asia-Pacific.”

Kissel, who served as senior adviser to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, made the remarks as economic tension between India and the US deepens. The Trump administration has slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, with an additional 25 per cent surcharge over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil.

Despite the trade irritants, Kissel said that Washington cannot afford to alienate India at a time when Chinese assertiveness is rising. “We need the heft of not just Australia, not just our friends in Japan, but also India,” she said.

Her comments came in the wake of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“I think this meeting is highlighting a major challenge for the Trump administration,” she noted, pointing to the delicate balance New Delhi seeks between Washington, Moscow and Beijing.

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With inputs from agencies