China is disrupting Indo-US relations, Pentagon report

Washington. The Pentagon, in a major report on China’s military modernization, has said that China is taking “continuous strategic action” to press for its claim along the Line of Actual Control with India, and has done so during and after the standoff. It has tried unsuccessfully to prevent India from consolidating ties with the US.

The Pentagon report comes amid heightened tensions between the US and China over Taiwan and was published hours after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US General Mark Milley, issued a stern warning about China’s military progress. Is. Pentagon calls China a ‘growing challenge’ for America. The Defense Department told the US Congress on Wednesday, “The PRC (People’s Republic of China) does not want India and the United States to come closer because of the border dispute.” PRC officials have warned US officials not to interfere in PRC’s relations with India.

The Pentagon regularly briefs Congress on the India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh. The Defense Department has clearly stated that China behaves aggressively and deterrently with its neighbours, especially India. The Pentagon said Chinese officials, through official statements and the media, alleged that India was merely a “weapon” of US policy in the region. At the same time, he tried his best during and after the standoff that India’s relations with America should not deepen.

The Pentagon said that in early May 2020, Chinese forces began infiltrating Indian-controlled territory from across the border and deployed troops to several standoff points along the LAC. The Pentagon said that despite ongoing diplomatic and military talks to de-escalate tensions along the border, China has continued to “increase strategic action” to press for its claims on the LAC.

Till June 2021, China and India continued to deploy extensively along the LAC. In addition, a substantial reserve force from the Tibet and Xinjiang military districts was deployed to interior parts of western China to be prepared for a quick response. According to the report, in the year 2020, when the standoff between China and India was at its peak, the Chinese army established fiber optic networks in remote areas of the western Himalayas to enable faster communication and increase security from foreign invasion.

In June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a skirmish in Galwan Valley. This was the first case of loss of life on the LAC after 1975. The Pentagon said that in February 2021, China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) announced a posthumous award for four PLA soldiers, although the total number of Chinese casualties was still not known. In the year 2020, China also established a 100-house civilian village within the disputed area between the Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region and India’s Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern region of the LAC.