ISLAMABAD – US diplomatic circles have supported India in its confrontationwith China on the border and in the Indian Ocean. First Deputy AssistantSecretary of State for South Asia Alice Wells, who is resigning in May, hasaccused China of using border clashes with India to change the status quoat the border.
On 20 May, Alice Wells, a US ambassador, spoke at an online conference atthe Atlantic Council, one of America’s leading think tanks, regarding theborder standoff between India and China.
Talking to Rish Verma, the US Ambassador to India from 2014-2017, she drewparallels between the confrontation in the Himalayas and the situationregarding the disputed South China Sea.
The diplomat called China’s actions on the border with India, as well as inthe South China Sea, “constant aggression”, “constant attempts” to changeexisting norms and the status quo, Business Insider India cited her assaying.
She then called to counter China, both in the South China Sea and onIndia’s land and sea borders, while adding that the increased presence ofthe Chinese military on the border, where temporary clashes are quitecommon, has caused concern on the Indian side. According to her, the issueis becoming more acute in light of Beijing’s efforts to “evaderesponsibility and spread misinformation”.
Many analysts believe that the United States has always been interested inmaintaining tensions between India and China. This is one of the tools toimplement their Indo-Pacific strategy, aimed, among other things, atstrengthening the country’s influence in South Asia, Andrei Volodin, anIMEMO RAS expert, professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the RussianForeign Ministry, pointed out:
“The statement (by the American ambassador) is just one example. Moreover,this statement obviously fits into the Trump administration’s currentgeneral strategy to discredit China as the ‘source’ of the coronaviruspandemic. The US, which is conducting an anti-Chinese campaign, is nowtrying to involve the maximum number of not only their satellites inWestern Europe, but also the maximum number of Asian states. Asiancountries, in general, react quite neutrally to these attempts”.
At the same time, the expert ruled out the possibility that US support forIndia in the border conflict with China could provoke it to take unilateralaction. In the context of the epidemiological crisis, even the Indianmilitary believes that it’s necessary to focus as much as possible on theeconomy and development.
They are ready to come to terms with the fact that Prime Minister NarendraModi is redistributing forces and assets in favour of the civilian sector.
“In addition, the experience of the 1962 war and subsequent conflictsbetween China and India is not in India’s favour”, Andrei Volodin said.
China’s restraint and its ability to achieve mutual understanding withIndia frustrate Washington’s strategic goal of them coming into conflict,as Delhi appreciates its independence and is unlikely to want Washington touse it as a tool to contain Beijing, Wang Peng from the People’s Universityof China said, commenting on the US diplomat’s statements:
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“The Indo-Pacific Strategy is the key strategy among the Trumpadministration’s global foreign policy aims. In June 2017, there was astandoff between China and India in Doklam, and in November of the sameyear, the United States introduced the concept of the Indo-PacificStrategy at the APEC meeting in Vietnam. There were only a few monthsbetween those events. It is no coincidence that many analysts believe thatthe Sino-Indian confrontation could have affected the development ofTrump’s strategy. The US has never stopped trying to form a political’square’ consisting of the United States, Japan, India, and Australia todeter China”.
© AP PHOTO / MANISH SWARUP
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraceafter giving a joint statement in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020.
“Meanwhile, China maintains restraint and seeks mutual understanding withthe Indian side; therefore the United States cannot achieve its strategicgoals. The Trump administration relies heavily on provoking disputes andincreased tension between certain countries and China to achieve its owngoals, which allows the United States to make these countries even morestrategically dependent. However, the problem is that the US strategy iscontrary to India’s national interests and cultural traditions. Indiareally appreciates its independence and doesn’t want to be used as a tool”.
The provocative nature of Alice Well’s statement is obvious given thedifficult situation in the northwest section of the Line of Actual Controlbetween China and India. In fact, her words can even be regarded as USsupport for India’s territorial claims against China, which could make thesituation on the Sino-Indian border even more explosive. This month therehave already been two, albeit minor, clashes involving dozens of militarypersonnel from both sides.
Additional defensive structures are also being constructed on both sides ofthe Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, which also increases the tension. Theother day, the Chinese military reported that India had builtfortifications to deliberately foment conflict and unilaterally modify theexisting border control system. The Global Times reported, citing a sourcein the PLA, that it had successfully restored the status quo in the GalwanValley.
For its part, the Indian Express reported on 20 May that tensions along theSino-Indian border in Ladakh near lake Pangong Tso had increased. Accordingto the Indian newspaper, the Chinese military had tripled the number ofpatrol boats in the area to match the number of Indian craft in the watersoff the western shore of the lake. -Sputnik
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