Time To Accept That Talks, Agreements Will Not Compel China To Change: US NSA On Territorial Aggression At LAC

US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien has spoken about China's territorial aggression citing its LAC dispute with India, stating that action needs to be taken against this aggression.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: US national security advisor has spoken about how China attempted to take control of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India by force as a move of territorial aggression. He emphasized that the time has come to accept Beijing is not going to change its ways with dialogue and agreements.  India and China have been in a five-month-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh which has led to a strained equation between both the countries. Several high-level diplomatic and military talks have been held to resolve the border row. However, despite certain assurances situation has seen little to no change. “CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) territorial aggression is also apparent on its Indian border where China has attempted to seize control of the Line of Actual Control by force,” US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said in a remark on China early this week in Utah. The 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is at the centre of the issue. While China asserts authority over Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, India opposes it. The Chinese territorial aggression is also true in the Taiwan Strait where the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy and Air Force continue to conduct threatening military drills, O’Brien said. “Beijing’s signature international development programme, One Belt One Road (OBOR), involves impoverished companies taking on opaque and unsustainable Chinese loans to pay Chinese firms employing Chinese labourers to build their infrastructure,” he added. The national security advisor pointed out how many of these projects are unnecessary, shoddily built and are "white elephants". "And now these countries’ dependence on the Chinese debt leaves their sovereignty eroded and with no choice but to hue to the party’s line on UN votes or any other issue that the Chinese Communist Party considers a red line," he said. O’Brien further noted that other international aid efforts by China include selling surveillance systems and similar tools of repression to "pariah regimes" around the world, including Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. "The time has come to accept that dialogue and agreements will not persuade or compel the People’s Republic of China to change. There’s nothing to be gained from looking the other way or turning the other cheek. We’ve been doing that for too long," he said. The Advisor stressed that the US must stand up to China and protect the American people. "We must promote American prosperity, practice peace through strength and advance American influence in the world," he said, Talking about several efforts made internationally to corner China, he spoke about how countries are challenging the so-called dragon in terms of technology especially with respect to 5G technology and ban on Huawei. "Carriers like Jio in India, Telstra in Australia, SK and KT in South Korea, NTT in Japan, and others have prohibited the use of Huawei equipment in their networks. The Trump administration is investigating and prosecuting the economic espionage aggressively," he said. O’Brien stated that even though the US competes with China, it does welcome cooperation where their interests align. "The US has a deep and abiding respect for the Chinese people and enjoys longstanding ties to that country, including our alliance in World War II," O’Brien said. (With Agency Inputs) WATCH | What is India's 'Rudram plan' against China?