Bizarro Navarro fires 'Brahmin profit' missile as India ties up China, Russia alliance in trade war

India, China and Russia projected a united front against US trade and tariff pressures on Monday as they wrapped up a landmark Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, just hours after senior US trade advisor Peter Navarro sparked another outrage with a controversial remark accusing India's "Brahmins" of "profiteering" from discounted Russian oil purchases.

The gathering, the largest in the 24-year history of the SCO, brought together more than 20 heads of state from Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia, underscoring Beijing's push for a multipolar world order as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies strain relations with key trading partners. Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the two-day event, which concluded with pledges for deeper economic and security cooperation amid escalating global trade frictions.

In a sideline meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi hailed the "positive momentum" in bilateral ties, marking Modi's first visit to China in seven years. The leaders agreed to resume direct flights, ease visa restrictions and expand cooperation on trade, climate and border stability, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs. "India and China should be partners, not rivals," Xi told Modi, emphasizing the need for an "atmosphere of peace and stability" along their disputed Himalayan border, where tensions had simmered since deadly clashes in 2020. 

However, India has maintained caution in its dealings with China, given the contentious and often aggressive relationship with its northern neighbour. Most analysts following the developments in Tianjin, especially between India and China, have indicated that the onus to walk the path laid out at the summit is very much on Beijing. It needs to be able to demonstrate that the vast Chinese market will open for Indian imports as well as not restrict or block exports to India of critical items like rare earth minerals, heavy engineering and manufacturing machinery and APIs for the pharma industry.  

Modi also held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the summit's second day, focusing on energy security and defence ties. The discussions come as India faces U.S. pressure to curb its imports of Russian crude, which now account for over 40% of its oil needs – up from less than 1% before Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Modi reaffirmed their "special and privileged strategic partnership," with plans for Putin's state visit to India in December to mark its 15th anniversary. Analysts said the meetings highlighted India's balancing act between its longstanding ties with Russia and growing alignment with China to counter U.S. economic coercion.

The summit adopted a joint declaration calling for "respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity" and opposition to "discriminatory sanctions in global trade," a veiled reference to Western measures against Russia over Ukraine. Xi described the SCO as bearing "greater responsibilities" for regional peace, while Putin used the platform to blast Western "hegemony" in an interview with China's Xinhua news agency ahead of his arrival.

The Tianjin talks were overshadowed by Trump's recent imposition of 50% tariffs on Indian goods, effective last week, which Washington justified as retaliation for New Delhi's refusal to halt Russian oil imports. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent estimated Indian refiners had earned $16 billion in "excess profits" from processing discounted Russian crude and exporting refined products to Europe, Africa and Asia, effectively bypassing sanctions.

The tariffs drew sharp rebukes from Indian officials, who called them hypocritical given that the U.S. and European Union continue to import Russian energy products like uranium and gas. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated last week that India's purchases were "guided by national security imperatives" and helped stabilize global energy prices, adding, "If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to."

Navarro's Bizzare 'Brahmin Profits' Barb

Adding fuel to the fire, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, a key architect of Trump's protectionist agenda, ignited controversy in a Fox News interview aired Monday morning. Defending the tariffs, Navarro accused India of turning into "nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin," claiming its refiners were laundering Russian oil to fund Moscow's war machine. "Before Putin invaded Ukraine, India barely bought Russian oil. Now, Russian refiners got into bed with big oil in India. They refine it and ship it at a big premium," he said.

Navarro then escalated his rhetoric with a caste-based jab, alleging that "Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people." "Modi's a great leader... But I don't understand why he's getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when he's the leader of the biggest democracy in the world," he added. "I would just simply say to the Indian people: Please, understand what's going on here. You've got Brahmins profiteering... We need that to stop."

The remark, invoking India's Brahmin caste – traditionally associated with priestly and intellectual roles but often stereotyped in Western discourse – was widely condemned as a "casteist slur" and an attempt to foment domestic unrest. National security expert Derek J. Grossman tweeted, "Fomenting caste unrest in India should never be U.S. foreign policy." Indian media outlets labelled it "bizarre" and "racist," with opposition leaders demanding an apology from the Trump administration. Navarro, who previously dubbed the Ukraine conflict "Modi's war" and India a "strategic freeloader," has faced criticism for his inflammatory style, but the White House has not disavowed his comments.

The Tianjin summit provided a stark counterpoint to the U.S. salvos. Modi, in his address to the plenary session, stressed India's commitment to "strategic autonomy" and multilateralism, while avoiding direct mention of the tariffs. Analysts noted that the optics of Modi, Xi and Putin together – with Putin receiving a red-carpet welcome and Modi engaging bilaterally – send a "pointed message to Washington" about the Global South's pushback against unilateralism.

As the leaders dispersed, Putin extended his stay in China for high-level talks and a military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War Two's end in Asia. The event, attended by guests including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is expected to further amplify anti-Western narratives. For India, the summit reinforces its pivot toward diversified partnerships, even as it navigates the fallout from Navarro's remarks and the broader U.S. trade war.