The US Department of Defense is concerned over the Chinese military buildup near the demarcation line with India in the Himalayas, media reported. According to the Foreign Policy magazine, China deployed long-range strategic bombers in the area last month.
Within the past several months, Indian officials said that China retains a significant military presence near the Indian border and conducts more drills in the area.
It is unclear whether the United States is going to provide India with more military support, Foreign Policy reported. An Indian official told the magazine that the United States was actively sharing intelligence information with India.
Earlier, President Joe Biden’s nominee for US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he stands ready to boost the United States’ efforts to strengthen India’s capacity to secure its borders and deter aggression.
“India is situated in a tough neighborhood. If confirmed, I intend to double-down on our efforts to strengthen India’s capacity to secure its borders, defend its sovereignty, and deter aggression,” Garcetti, who has served as mayor of Los Angeles since 2013, told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Garcetti said the aggression should be battled through information sharing, counterterrorism coordination, joint freedom of navigation patrols and military exercises as well as through “sales of our best defense technologies in order to realize the full potential of our Major Defense Partnership.”
India and Pakistan have long been at odds over Jammu and Kashmir. Clashes on the line of contact have been a regular occurrence, but tensions escalated in August of 2019, when the Indian government annulled the special autonomous status of the state and divided it into two territories under its direct control.
India controls the southern part of the Kashmir region, while Pakistan and China occupy its northwestern and northeastern parts, respectively.
Since the 1962 war between India and China, the two lack a duly demarcated borderline in the Himalayas. As a consequence, the area has since frequented seeing hassles between the military of both sides.
Following a deadly escalation near Lake Pangong Tso in May 2020, India and China boosted their military presence in the disputed region, while simultaneously launching the disengagement consultations.
As talks were underway, another two major clashes took place in June and August of that year which left dozens of soldiers killed on both sides. The two countries are currently engaged in talks on de-escalating the situation on the border.
- Via Sputnik News Agency. Views Personal
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