The U.S. Department of Defense stated that the United States has noticed that China continues to build up troops and build military facilities along the line of actual control between China and India.
U.S. Department of Defense Spokesperson, Air Force Commodore Pat Ryder (Pat Ryder) was asked at a regular press conference on Tuesday (December 13, 2022) whether the U.S. Department of Defense was concerned about the clashes between Chinese and Indian troops last week worried, and whether the United States is willing to provide more military support to India to help them deal with China's military threat.
"The People's Republic of China is becoming more assertive and provocative toward U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. It's important to point that out," Ryder said.
As for whether the United States will support India militarily, the Ministry of Defense spokesperson said, "We will continue and continue to work to ensure the safety of our partners. We fully support India's ongoing efforts to ease tensions."
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed on Wednesday that the border guards of India and China clashed in the Dago area of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India (called southern Tibet in China) on December 9 last week. He claimed that the conflict was caused by Chinese soldiers trying to unilaterally change the status quo of the border between the two countries.
Previously, Indian and international media reported that Chinese and Indian soldiers clashed briefly near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the disputed border area that day. Conflict events worsen or escalate.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not directly confirm news of another clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers on Wednesday. He said, "As far as we know, the current situation on the Sino-Indian border is generally stable, and the two sides have maintained smooth communication on border-related issues through diplomatic and military channels."
This is the first time a new conflict has erupted since the ongoing confrontation between Chinese and Indian armies in eastern Ladakh. In June 2020, the Sino-Indian army had a fierce physical conflict in the Galwan Valley area on the border between the two countries. Although neither side fired a shot, it is believed that 20 officers and soldiers from the Indian side were killed in the fight with stones and sticks. Four people died and one was seriously injured. This conflict caused a sharp deterioration in the relationship between the two sides, and led to a series of confrontations and confrontations between the Chinese and Indian armies including the south bank of Pangong Lake.
As part of the annual joint military exercise between the two countries, Indian and U.S. troops are held from mid-November to early December in the Himalayas in the town of Oli in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, about 100 kilometers from the Sino-Indian border.
China's foreign ministry said at the time that the India-US joint exercise "violated the spirit of the relevant agreements signed by China and India in 1993 and 1996" and "is not conducive to the trust between China and India.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded, "India conducts exercises with any country it chooses, and it will not give any third country a veto on this issue."
A report submitted by the U.S. Department of Defense to Congress earlier stated that China is trying to prevent tensions on the Sino-Indian border from leading to a closer partnership between India and the United States, and Beijing has also warned the United States not to interfere in Sino-Indian relations.
