Beijing warned US officials not to interfere with India-China ties: Pentagon report

In a strange case of bilateral common-ground between India and China amid their continued hostilities, Beijing told American officials not to interfere in its relationship with India, the Pentagon said in a report to the US Congress. India too disapproves any third-party interference with respect to its prevailing bilateral disputes with its neighbours.

Since the beginning of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff between the two sides, Chinese officials reportedly downplayed the severity of the crisis. Beijing emphasised on its purported intent to preserve "border stability" and prevent the standoff from harming other areas of its bilateral relationship with India, the Pentagon said in a report on Tuesday.

"The PRC (People's Republic of China) seeks to prevent border tensions from causing India to partner more closely with the United States. PRC officials have warned US officials to not interfere with the PRC's relationship with India," the Pentagon said in its latest report on Chinese military build-up.

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In a section on the China-India border, the Pentagon said throughout 2021, China's People Liberation Army (PLA) sustained the deployment of forces and continued infrastructure build-up along the LAC. Negotiation made minimal progress as both sides resist losing perceived advantages on the border, it said.

Beginning in May 2020, Chinese and Indian forces faced off in clashes with rocks, batons, and clubs wrapped in barbed wire at multiple locations along the LAC. The resulting standoff triggered the build-up of forces on both sides of the border.

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"Each country demanded the withdrawal of the other's forces and a return to pre-standoff conditions, but neither China nor India agreed on those conditions," it said.

"The PRC blamed the standoff on Indian infrastructure construction, which it perceived as encroaching on PRC territory, while India accused China of launching aggressive incursions into India's territory," it added.

Since the 2020 clash, PLA has maintained a continuous force presence and continued infrastructure build-up along the LAC.

The 2020 Galwan Valley incident was the deadliest clash between the two nations in the past 46 years, the report said. On June 15, 2020, patrols violently clashed in Galwan Valley resulting in the death of approximately 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of PLA troops, according to PRC officials, it said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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