India, US facing same security threat from China, says top US Indo-Pacific commander

The US is providing assistance to India to counter its adversary China on the border areas and also develop defence industrial base, a top American commander has said, adding that Washington and New Delhi faced the same security challenge from Beijing in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.

The statements were made by Admiral John Christopher Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command during a hearing on Indo-Pacific National Security Challenges conducted by the House Armed Services Committee.

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“We value our partnership with India, and we've been increasing it and doing a lot more, over time. They have the same security challenge, primary security challenger that we do, and it's real on their northern border. Two skirmishes now in over the past nine or 10 months on that border, as they continue to get pressurised by the PRC for border gains," said Aquilino.

The US admiral was responding to a question from Indian- American Congressman Ro Khanna who said the relationship between India and China had soured with the latter treating other countries as 'junior' partners.

“I would like you to reflect on the importance of the relationship – postcolonialism India and China had a relationship to emerge as the Asian voice. But that relationship now has really soured with a concern that there should not be a hegemon in Asia and that China is treating other countries as junior partners,” said Khanna.

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Aquilino answered that US and India were on the same page when it came to the China threat.

"We also have the desire to operate together, based on the world's largest democracy. We have common values, and we also have people-to-people ties for a number of years. I met with General (Anil) Chauhan, my counterpart, at the Raisina Dialogue not long ago. I've been to India five times now in the past two years."

Want to be India'spartner of choice

Responding to another question from Congressman Patrick Ryan, the admiral noted that the US had assisted India in the form of supplying cold weather gear and other capabilities that they might need to defend the border areas.

"Additionally, we’re expanding our cooperation in the form of production as India tries to work to develop its own industrial base. So, C-130 critical components made in India, helicopter critical frameworks made in India. That is expanding the partnership and moving them towards self-sufficiency and increased partnership with the United States,” added Aquilino.

Meanwhile,Jedidiah P Royal, principal deputy assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific Security during the hearing added that Washington wanted to be India's preferred partner of choice.

“We want to make sure that the US defence industrial base is in the best position possible to be India’s partner of choice moving forward."

“We’re already delivering offers under the context of the ISAT arrangement. This is a real moment of convergence for the United States and India and we’re looking to take full advantage of it, going forward.”

Washington aids India to avoid Chinese incursion

Aquilino's statement comes nearly a month after US media reported that Washington provided crucial military intelligence to New Delhi last year to thwart the Chinese threat.

The reports claimed that the US government, for the first time, provided real-time insights to their Indian counterparts. The details helped India neutralise the incursion attempts by the PLA troops in Northeastern India's Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang Sector.

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"India was able to repel a Chinese military incursion in contested border territory in the high Himalayas late last year due to unprecedented intelligence-sharing with the US military," read the report.

(With inputs from agencies)

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