In a television interview, Greer said India is increasingly being viewed by American firms as a viable alternative manufacturing base as they diversify production in response to geopolitical tensions and the broader shift from globalisation toward what he described as a more “resilient and secure” economic model.
While emphasising that the priority remains bringing supply chains closer to the United States, Greer acknowledged that companies relocating production often require transitional partners — and India, with its large workforce and expanding industrial capacity, could serve as a strategic “waystation” in that process. Imports from India, he added, would be welcome as long as trade remains “balanced and fair” and does not undermine American workers.
His remarks were widely interpreted as a vote of confidence in India’s role as a trusted node in emerging supply chains that Washington is attempting to re-engineer amid intensifying competition with Beijing.
Greer also pointed to what he described as signs of alignment between Washington and New Delhi, noting that India has begun reducing purchases of Russian oil while increasing energy imports from the United States. He added that New Delhi has started rolling back its digital services tax — a long-standing concern for American companies.
At the same time, he characterised US-China trade relations as “stable,” even as he credited former president Donald Trump’s recent trade agreements with multiple countries, including India, Argentina, Bangladesh, Guatemala and El Salvador, with reshaping the global trade architecture in favour of American exporters.
Those deals, he said, are designed not only to open foreign markets but also to address distortions in global trade, including efforts to prevent goods from third countries from being routed indirectly into the United States — an apparent reference to concerns about Chinese products circumventing trade restrictions.Looking ahead, Greer made clear that tariffs will remain a central tool of US trade policy. Even if the Supreme Court were to issue an adverse ruling affecting trade authorities, he said, Washington would find alternative mechanisms to counter what it sees as unfair trade practices abroad.
Taken together, his comments underscored a broader strategic message: as the United States redraws the map of global commerce, India is emerging as a pivotal partner in Washington’s effort to build supply chains that are not only efficient, but geopolitically secure.