Washington:
The US stands with its friends, partners, and allies like India against the continued Chinese military aggression, an influential lawmaker said on Tuesday. Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s remarks came as the US House of Representatives agreed to consider his bipartisan congressional resolution that urged China to work towards de-escalating the situation at the border with India through existing diplomatic mechanisms and not by force.
The troops of India and China are locked in a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated last month following the Galwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead. The resolution expresses significant concern about continued military aggression by China along its border with India and in other parts of the world. “I’m glad that the House has agreed to consider my bipartisan amendment urging the Government of the People’s Republic of China to de-escalate the situation along the Line of Actual Control with India through diplomacy, not force,” Krishnamoorthi said.
“China’s continued military aggression along the Indian border and in other areas in the Indo-Pacific region poses a threat to regional and global security. We stand with our friends, partners, and allies like India against this continued Chinese military aggression,” said the Indian American lawmaker. Other co-sponsors of the Congressional resolution are Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna and lawmakers Frank Pallone, Tom Suozzi, Ted Yoho, George Holding, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Haley Stevens, and Steve Chabot.
On Monday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), slamming China’s aggression against India in the Galwan Valley and its growing territorial assertiveness in and around disputed areas like the South China Sea. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area.
