WASHINGTON: The United States has reemphasized its strategic commitment with India ahead of the scheduled Winter Olympics and asserted that it stands with India against Chinese "intimidation".
"When it comes to the India-China border situation, we continue to support direct dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the disputes," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday.
"We have previously voiced our concerns on Beijing's pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbours. As we always do, we stand with friends. We stand with partners and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security and values in the Indo-Pacific," he said.
The United States and India have a strong strategic partnership founded on shared values and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The United States supports India's emergence as a leading global power and vital partner in efforts to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity and economic inclusion, according to the US State Department.
Further, India and US have reaffirmed their strategic partnership through co-operation in the Quadrilateral Security Initiative along with Japan and Australia. Also, US strategic commitment to India in the Indo-Pacific comes ahead of the scheduled Quadrilateral foreign ministers meet to be held later this month in Melbourne, Australia.
Earlier, the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit was held in September last year in the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the meeting along with the leaders of Australia, Japan and US. Meanwhile, US-India defense cooperation is reaching new heights, including through information sharing, liaison officers, increasingly complex exercises like Malabar, and defense enabling agreements, such as the secure communications agreement Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement.
Through the US-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, the United States and India work together on co-production and co-development of defense equipment.
The United States and India cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic, economic and security issues, including defense, non-proliferation, regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, shared democratic values, counterterrorism, climate change, health, energy, trade and investment, peacekeeping, the environment, education, science and technology, agriculture, space, and oceans, as noted by US State Department.
Further several US lawmakers slammed China for choosing a PLA soldier, who was part of the military command that attacked Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in 2020, as a torchbearer for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the Galwan clashes that marked the most serious military conflicts between India and China in decades.
Meanwhile, the US was among the first countries to announce its intention not to send any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights issues in China. This decision has been backed by other US allies, including the UK, Canada, Germany and Australia. However, athletes from these respective nations are still free to participate in the event.
Meanwhile, India has also chosen to diplomatically the even as it has referred to China choosing a People Liberation Army's commander injured in Galwan clash for 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay. Further, a US lawmaker on Wednesday slammed China for choosing the PLA commander for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay.
"It's shameful that Beijing chose a torchbearer for the Olympics2022 who's part of the military command that attacked India in 2020 and is implementing genocide against the Uyghurs. The US will continue to support Uyghur freedoms and the sovereignty of India," said Senator Jim Risch, a Republican who is a Ranking Member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
A report in an Australian investigative newspaper has revealed that China is hiding its losses in the Galwan Valley clash with India. The new research has shown that the PLA lost at least nine times more soldiers than its official count of four.