Updated: December 16, 2020 2:21:39 pm
An Indian army soldier stands guard on top of his vehicle as his convoy moves along the Srinagar-Ladakh highway in Gagangeer. (AP Photo)
The US Congress officially passed the $ 740 billion defense policy bill, which among other things includes denouncing Chinese aggression against India along the Royal Line of Control (LAC).
The U.S. House and Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included key components of Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s resolution language urging the Chinese government to end its military aggression. against India throughout LAC.
China and India have been locked in a military clash along the Royal Line of Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since May this year. Several rounds of talks between the two countries to resolve the confrontation have not yielded any concrete results.
The House and Senate versions of the bill were reconciled by a congressional bipartisan conference committee earlier this month.
The inclusion of this provision, which Krishnamoorthi spearheaded as an amendment when the bill passed the House, reflects the strong support of the United States government for its allies and partners like India in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Krishnamoorthi’s measure, which was passed by every chamber with overwhelming bipartisan support, will become law if President Donald Trump signs it.
Trump has threatened to veto the bill as it lacks a waiver of legal protections for social media companies. However, the NDAA has been passed by Congress for the past 59 years.
“Violent aggression is rarely the answer, and this is especially true for the Royal Line of Control, which is the disputed border region that separates the People’s Republic of China from India,” Krishnamoorthi said.
“By including my resolution language in the NDAA and turning that legislation into law, the US government will send a clear message that China’s military provocations against India will not be tolerated,” he said.
“The United States is committed to supporting our allies and partners like India in resolving the border standoff using diplomatic means,” Krishnamoorthi said.
As approved by the conference report, the powerful NDAA says it is Congress’s sense of China’s aggression along the border with India and its growing territorial claims.
The Senate agreed to include the provisions of the bill that was approved by the House in its version of the bill.
The House bill contained provisions that would express Congress’s sense of cross-border violence between China and India and Beijing’s growing territorial claims.
Expressing “significant concern” about China’s continued military aggression along the border with India, the NDAA says China “should work with” India to reduce the situation along the Royal Line of Control through the mechanisms diplomats and refrain from attempting to resolve disputes by coercion or force.
China’s attempts to promote unfounded territorial claims, including those in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and with respect to Bhutan, are destabilizing and inconsistent with international law, the bill says.
China is also involved in highly controversial territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
Beijing has built and militarized many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are said to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are also vital to world trade.
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