'China's Recent Aggression In Arunachal Another Reason To Strengthen India-US Ties': US Lawmakers

Chinese and Indian army were engaged in a fresh clash in Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9.

Indian army personnel carrying out drills at Kibithu close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh

Source : PTI

New Delhi: The recent Chinese aggression against India is another reason why a strong Indo-US security partnership is crucial to the national security of the United States and the allies, top American lawmakers said.

"China's most recent aggression in Arunachal Pradesh is yet another reminder of why a strong security partnership with India is crucial to the national security of the United States and our allies,” the India Caucus Co-Chairs said in a statement.

It is to be noted that the Chinese and Indian army were engaged in a fresh clash in Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9. This was the first such major flare-up after the hand-to-hand combat in Galwan Valley in June 2020 which was the most serious military conflict between the two sides over decades.

"This event marks yet another threat of the People's Republic of China to the Indian territory, including China's premeditated aggression on the Line of Actual Control in 2020 which saw the death of approximately 20 Indian troops,” the statement said.

"As co-chairs of the India Caucus, we have worked for years to deepen the US-India bilateral relationship. The India Caucus built on this progress by including the Khanna-Sherman-Schweikert amendment in the House-passed FY23 NDAA, highlighting the immediate and serious regional border threats that India faces from China,” added the statement.

The co-chairs also applauded the inclusion of Section 1260 in the Financial Year 2023 Final Conference Report to boost the military cooperation in critical areas such as intelligence gathering, fifth generation aircraft and emerging technologies to check China’s aggression and encroachment in the Indo-Pacific region.

"The US and India share a unique bond as the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy, and as co-chairs of the Caucus we will continue to grow our security engagement and bilateral ties,” the India Caucus Co-Chairs statement added.