China expresses concerns over India-US military exercise, says "violates spirit of pacts for border peace"

NewsBharati 01-Dec-2022 10:41:07 AM

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Beijing, Dec 1: China on Wednesday said that the joint military exercise held by India and the US near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) violated the spirit of relevant agreements signed by China and India.

China expresses concerns over India-US military exercise, says

Speaking at a regular press conference, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “The joint military exercise held by India and the US near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) violated the spirit of relevant agreements signed by China and India in 1993 and 1996, and does not help build bilateral trust. China has expressed concerns to the Indian side over the military exercise.”

In order to check Chinese aggression, India and US held the 18th edition of the joint military training exercise Yudh Abhyas in Auli, Uttarakhand, 100 km away from LAC.

Meanwhile, China seeks to prevent border tensions from causing India to partner more closely with the US, said a Pentagon report. Throughout 2021, the PLA sustained the deployment of forces and continued infrastructure build-up along the LAC. Moreover, negotiation made minimal progress as both sides resist losing perceived advantages on the border, added the Pentagon report.

Beginning in May 2020, Chinese troops and Indian Army troops faced off in clashes with rocks, batons, and clubs wrapped in barbed wire at multiple locations along the LAC. The PRC blamed the standoff on Indian infrastructure construction, which it perceived as encroaching on PRC territory, while India accused China of launching aggressive incursions into India’s territory.

Since the 2020 clash, the PLA has maintained a continuous force presence and continued infrastructure build-up along the LAC, added the report.

The 2020 Galwan Valley incident was the deadliest clash between the two nations in the past 46 years. On June 15th, 2020, patrols violently clashed in Galwan Valley resulting in approximately twenty Indian soldiers and the death of four PLA soldiers, according to PRC officials.