The QSD is an informal strategic forum between US, Japan, Australia and India
Washington:
A bipartisan US Senate resolution has condemned China’s use of military force to try to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India and called for a diplomatic solution to the issue.
Indian and Chinese troops are on high alert in several areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated after the June 15 Galwan Valley clashes in which 20 soldiers laid down their lives for India. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.
The resolution, introduced by senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner, commended India for taking steps to secure its telecommunications infrastructure from Chinese security threats and also supported bilateral and multilateral partnerships, such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.
The QSD, also known as the Quad, is an informal strategic forum between the US, Japan, Australia and India. The diplomatic and military arrangement is widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power in the Indo-Pacific region. Mr Cornyn and Mr Warner are co-chairs of the Senate Indian Caucus.
The resolution tabled on the Senate floor last week has been sent to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for consideration. Mr Cornyn is the Republican Senate Majority Whip, while Mr Warner is the ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Condemning China’s use of military aggression to try to change the status quo at LAC, the resolution, the text of which was released on Monday, said the US officially recognises the McMahon Line, Arunachal Pradesh and encourages a diplomatic solution to remaining contested areas of the border between India and China.
The McMahon Line defines a clear boundary line between India and China. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet.
The resolution said in the months leading up to June 15, China increased troop deployments, built new infrastructure in contested areas, and harassed Indian patrols along multiple sectors of the LAC, particularly around the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Pangong Lake.
The resolution also noted that China’s action of expanding territorial claims in Bhutan’s eastern sector is a “transparent attempt at expanding its illegitimate claims” over Arunachal Pradesh.
The US views China’s aggression at LAC, in the Indian Ocean and in the Western Pacific as a “threat to the stability and security of the international community”, it said. The resolution committed to deepen US’ defence, intelligence and economic ties with India in line with the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
