WASHINGTON: China provokes India in every turn as carried out with the United States and Washington committed to accelerating progress in strengthening Indian defense capacity to prevent China’s provocation, a senior Biden official.
India’s relationship with China is currently through a very difficult phase after Beijing violates the agreement not to bring military forces to the East Ladakh border.
“Just as China increasingly provocative challenges the United States, also provokes India in every turn,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central India, Donald Lu, told members of the Senate Subcommittes in South Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and counterterrorism on the day Wednesday.
“India conducted a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics after China chose the commander of the regiment responsible for the attack on the Indian border which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers by 2020 as the Olympic Torchbearer,” he said.
Beijing also recently published a new China map reaffirming claims for large plots in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, changing the names of new Chinese cities.
The border deadlock in East Ladakh erupted on May 5, 2020, following the clash of violence in the area of Lake Pangong. Face-off increased after Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020.
India was involved in talks with China on the Eastern Ladakh border deadlock with absolute clarity so that it would not approve any changes in the status quo or any effort to unilaterally change the actual control line (LAC) in the region.
Lu also told the parliamentarians that the US also worked with India to strengthen his defense skills.
“We are still committed to accelerating progress in our main defense partnerships and strengthening the capacity of India to prevent Chinese provocations, through strong navy cooperation, improve information and share intelligence, and increase cooperation in domains that appear like space and cyberspace,” say.
Referring to the Minister of Quad recently in Melbourne, Lu said he was surprised by how big Quad was reaching and determining all quad partners to support free and open indo-Pacific.
Quad is a group of four members of the US, India, Australia and Japan that have been formed to advance a joint vision of open and inclusive Indo-Pacific firmness, in the midst of growth in the region.
Quad made a big step in reaching the goal of giving 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the world, Lu said.
The US International Development Financing Company provides USD50 million in long-term financing for biological E Ltd to develop production capacity to produce at least one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine at the end of 2022, “he said.
“We have held discussions through quads on critical and developing technology and also work together to support clean energy efforts and decarbonization in the Indo-Pacific region, including through green delivery and clean hydrogen initiatives,” he added.
“Quad also works together about maritime and security cooperation. We share data about the awareness of maritime domains, fighting with illegally fishing, and four countries we have committed complex and large-scale naval exercises in annual Malabar exercises,” Lu said.
He denied the allegations of Senator Ted Cruz that the Biden government had blessed China in Quad.