US says it encourages India and China to utilise existing bilateral channels

The US has said that it encourages India and China to utilise 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 ControlWe are glad to hear that both sides appear to have quickly disengaged from the clashes We are closely monitoring the situation White House Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre told reporters at her daily news conference on TuesdayShe was responding to questions on clashes between Indian and Chinese troops on the Line of Actual Control LAC on December 9We encourage India and China to utilise 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 saidOn Tuesday Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament in New Delhi that the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army PLA to unilaterally change the status quo at Yangtse area in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9Also Read No deaths no major injuries to our soldiers Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha on Tawang clashThe 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 said in his statement in Lok Sabha and Rajya SabhaThere were no fatalities or serious injuries to Indian troops in the scuffle he addedMeanwhile State Department Spokesperson Ned Price also told reporters that the US is closely monitoring the situation between India and ChinaWe are glad to hear that both sides appear to have quickly disengaged from the clashes I dont have anything to offer in terms of the timing behind the most recent clashes but were continuing to monitor very closely and to engage with our Indian partners Price saidIndia he reiterated is indeed an important strategic partner of the US bilaterally in the Quad and other multilateral fora as wellSo were always with that in mind in close contact with our Indian partners both from our mission in India as well as from the State Department here in Washington Price saidI would need to refer you to the Indians for their perspective on this as were going to keep our diplomatic conversations within those channels but we do strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions military or civilian across the border at the established Line of Actual Control and we encourage India and China to utilise existing bilateral channels to discuss disputed boundaries he saidThe Pentagon also said that it continues to closely watch the developments along the LAC at the IndiaChina borderWe have seen the PRC Peoples Republic of China continue to amass forces and build military infrastructure along the socalled LAC but I would refer you to India in terms of their views Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reportersIt does reflect though and its important to point out the growing trend by the PRC to assert itself and to be provocative in areas directed towards US allies and our partners in the Indo Pacific And we will continue to remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the security of our partners And we fully support Indias ongoing efforts to deescalate this situation he saidThe Friday incident is the first major clash between the Indian and Chinese armies since the fierce faceoff in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decadesThis is also the first major incident at the border after Chinese President Xi Jinping was reelected for an unprecedented third fiveyear term at the onceinafiveyear Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China CPCThe Friday clash took place even as both countries held 16 rounds of talks between their commanders to resolve the standoffs at various points since the eastern Ladakh border standoff which erupted in May 2020 following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areaThe last round of talks was held in September during which both sides agreed to disengage their troops at Patrolling Point 15 in the GograHot Springs areaIndia has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC are important for the overall development of bilateral tiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever