US backs India, slams Chinese aggression in Himalayas
Washington referred to the Galwan faceoff to slam China over its aggression. This even as foreign ministers of the four so-called 'Quad' countries resolved to fight back expansionism.
FollowWashington DC: The United States has once again backed India with regard to its ongoing standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
A US Senior State Department official said, "If you look at the conflict on the, in the Himalayas between China & India, something that has been handled according to unspoken or unwritten rules in the past to prevent these things from getting out of control and then you look at what happened recently, where you have got actually people beating each other to death. If you look at the single thing that's driving all this, it's sudden turn toward gross aggression by Chinese government in its entire periphery.
Washington's reference to the Galwan faceoff came moments after the second meeting of foreign ministers of the four so-called 'Quad' countries on Tuesday.Â
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo didn't mince his words as he urged India, Australia and Japan to come together on an anti-China platform.Â
"As partners in this Quad, it is more critical now than ever that we collaborate to protect our people and partners from the CCP's exploitation, corruption, and coercion. Â We have seen it in the south, in the East China Sea, the Mekong, the Himalayas, the Taiwan Straits. Â These are just a few examples," he said.
During the 'Quad' meeting, India reiterated its commitment to its territorial intergrity and freedom of navigation in international seas.
In his remarks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said: "We remain committed to upholding the rules-based international order underpinned by the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas, and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes. Our objective remains advancing the security and the economic interests of all countries having legitimate and vital interests in the region. It is a matter of satisfaction that the Indo-Pacific concept has gained increasingly wider acceptance. The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative that we tabled at the East Asia Summit last year is a development with considerable promise in that context."
