WASHINGTON: The US has asserted that it stands with India against Chinese intimidation after Beijing deputed a PLA officer, 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.
China on Wednesday fielded a regiment commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) involved in the June 2020 clash with the Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley to carry the Winter Olympics torch in Beijing, prompting India to announce a diplomatic boycott of the opening and closing ceremonies of the mega sporting event staring on Friday.
Responding to a question on China's provocative move, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday that the US has previously voiced its concern over Beijing's pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbours.
"When it comes to the broader issue of India-China border situation, we continue to support direct dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the border disputes," Price said.
"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 US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's aggressive military manoeuvring in the resource-rich region which is also crucial for global trade and shipping.
China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it.
Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.
China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.
Meanwhile, two top American senators have slammed China for its decision to field the regimental commander of the PLA as the torchbearer for the Games Torch Relay.
"Another outrageous example of the #CCP's flagrant politicization of Beijing2022. Their decision to choose a soldier who participated in a 2020 ambush against Indian troops as torchbearer is appalling and deliberately provocative," Senator Marco Rubio said.
The senator from Florida said he stands with India.
In another tweet, Senator Jim Risch, a Ranking Member of the powerful US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said the US will continue to support the sovereignty of India.
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"It's shameful that Beijing chose a torchbearer for the Olympics 2022 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," Risch tweeted.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi alleged that it is an attempt of the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party to use the glitz and glamour of the Olympics to showcase a facade that distracts global attention from egregious human rights abuses in China.
"These efforts generate many questions that the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) explored throughout 2021 regarding the policies of the International Olympic Committee, the nexus between major sporting events and human rights, and the responsibilities of governments, sporting bodies, corporate sponsors, broadcasters, and others affiliated with these Olympic Games," she said.
Meanwhile, Rubio was on Thursday joined by several other senators, including Rick Scott, Josh Hawley, Mike Braun, Ted Cruz and Bill Hagerty, in introducing the 'No PLA Loopholes' Act -- a bill to close a loophole in the existing law to limit joint military operations and exercises between the United States and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
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.
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In February last year, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the Galwan clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.
Beijing is hosting the Winter Olympics amidst a diplomatic boycott by the US, European Union and several western countries over their allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang, including incarceration of over a million Uygur Muslim men and women in camps.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday arrived in Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympic Games and talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, as the two leaders look to project themselves as a counterweight to the U.S. and its allies.
The Russian leader's visit comes amid growing Chinese support for Moscow in its dispute with Ukraine that threatens to break out into armed conflict.
Putin's presence makes him the highest-profile guest at the event following the decision by the U.S., Britain and others not to send officials in protest over China's human rights abuses and its treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
Putin's arrival from Moscow early Friday afternoon was confirmed by Russian state news agency RIA.
The two leaders are due to hold talks then have a private lunch together.
The discussions mark their first in-person meeting since 2019 and come as China and Russia increasingly align their foreign policies bilaterally and in world bodies such as the United Nations, in opposition to the United States-led bloc.
Leaders of the five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, which have close ties with both Russia and China, all followed Putin's lead and are attending, along with other states that have political and economic interests with Beijing.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization Daren Tang were among other dignitaries who arrived Thursday.
The Putin-Xi talks are expected to focus on coordinating their countries' foreign policies, with Putin writing in an article published Thursday by the Chinese news agency Xinhua that Moscow and Beijing play an "important stabilising role" in global affairs and help make international affairs "more equitable and inclusive."
The Russian president criticised "attempts by some countries to politicise sports to the benefit of their ambitions," an apparent reference to a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott, which does not affect the participation of athletes in the Games.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, said that Moscow and Beijing plan to issue a joint statement that will reflect their shared views on global security, as officials from the two countries are set to sign more than a dozen agreements on trade, energy and other issues.
Ushakov noted that Moscow and Beijing have close or identical stands on most international issues.
He said China supports Russia's demands for security guarantees that have underpinned the standoff over Ukraine.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call last week that Moscow's security concerns need to be taken seriously and addressed, a statement that marked a notable policy shift for Beijing.
A buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fuelled Western fears that Moscow is poised to invade its neighbour.
Russia has denied planning an offensive but urged the U.S. and its allies to provide a binding pledge that NATO won't expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations or deploy weapons there, and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe, demands firmly rejected by the West.
Some observers suggested that Beijing is closely watching how the U.S. and its allies act in the standoff over Ukraine as it ponders further strategy on Taiwan, arguing that indecision by Washington could encourage China to grow more assertive.
Russia and China have held a series of joint war games, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
In August, Russian troops for the first time deployed to Chinese territory for joint maneuvers.
Putin has also has noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability.