China warns US against interfering in ties with India

Washington: China has warned US officials not to interfere in its relationship with India, according to a Pentagon report which underlines that Beijing seeks to prevent border tensions from causing New Delhi to partner more closely with Washington.

The Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) have been locked in a standoff in multiple areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.

Throughout its standoff with India along the LAC, Chinese officials sought to downplay the severity of the crisis, emphasising Beijing's intent to preserve border stability and prevent the standoff from harming other areas of its bilateral relationship with India, the Pentagon said in its latest report to Congress on Chinese military build-up on Tuesday.

"The PRC (People's Republic of China) seeks to prevent border tensions from causing India to partner more closely with the United States. PRC officials have warned US officials to not interfere with the PRC's relationship with India," the report said.

In a section on the China-India border, the Pentagon said throughout 2021, the PLA sustained the deployment of forces and continued infrastructure build-up along the LAC. Negotiation made "minimal progress" as both sides resisted losing perceived advantages on the border, it said.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. "Each country demanded the withdrawal of the other's forces and a return to pre-standoff conditions, but neither China nor India agreed on those conditions," the Pentagon report said.