Tawang clash: US urges India, China to use bilateral channels to sort out border row

The United States encouraged India and China to make use of the existing bilateral channels to discuss their disputed boundaries, even as it strongly opposed any “unilateral attempts” to advance territorial claims across the border at the established Line of Actual Control (LAC).

On the note of the two countries, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday told reporters at her daily news conference saying, “We are glad to hear that both sides appear to have quickly disengaged from the clashes. We are closely monitoring the situation”.

Also read: Tawang incursion: What China wants and why it’s no minor incident

She was responding to questions on clashes between Indian and Chinese troops on the LAC on December 9.

We encourage India and China to utilize existing bilateral channels to discuss disputed boundaries. We are glad to see that there has been some disengagement on the clashes at this time, she added.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that the Indian Army countered an attempt by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to “unilaterally” change the status quo at Yangtse area in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.

“The Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from encroaching on our territory, and forced them to withdraw to their posts. Some soldiers from both sides were injured in the skirmish,” he also added in his statement in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

There were no fatalities or serious injuries to Indian troops in the scuffle, he further included.

Meanwhile, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price also told reporters that the US is closely monitoring the situation between India and China.

He restated that India is an important strategic partner of the US bilaterally, in the Quad, and other multilateral fora as well.

Also read: Tawang clash: Oppn walks out after Rajnath address; fighter jets deployed at border

“I would need to refer you to the Indians for their perspective on this as were going to keep our diplomatic conversations within those channels”, he said.

Besides, The Pentagon, headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, also said that it continues to closely watch the developments along the LAC at the India-China border.

We have seen the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) continue to amass forces and build military infrastructure along the so-called LAC, but I would refer you to India in terms of their views, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder stated.

“We will continue to remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the security of our partners. And we fully support India’s ongoing efforts to de-escalate this situation”, he added.

Also read: India-China army clash: 10 points on what happened in Tawang

Notably, the most crucial Friday incident is the first major clash between the Indian and Chinese armies where both countries held 16 rounds of talks between their commanders to resolve the standoffs at various points.