The US Congress voiced concern over China’s “aggression” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India and proclaimed Beijing’s territorial demands to be “baseless” in the Himalayas.
The Defence Spending bill, approved by both houses of the Congress, urged China to stop using coercion to resolve the conflict along the LAC and instead use diplomacy.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives, presented the portion of the bill entitled “Congress on the aggression of the Government of China along the border with India and its growing territorial claims.”
The measure, including a military allowance of $740 billion, now heads to President Donald Trump, who threatened to veto the spending bill over unconnected issues, and because it wasn’t hard enough for China. “By including my resolution language in the NDAA (National Defence Appropriation Act) and signing that legislation into law, the United States government will send a clear message that China’s military provocations of India will not be tolerated.”
“The United States is committed to standing with our allies and partners like India in resolving the border standoff using diplomatic means.
“Violent aggression is rarely the answer, and this is especially true of the Line of Actual Control, the disputed border region that separates the People’s Republic of China from India,” he said.
Relation to China’s aggression along the LAC and expression of solidarity for India is significant as US leadership shifts from Trump, a staunch supporter of India who has taken a firm stand against China, to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. The clauses of the law on the hostility of China were endorsed by representatives of both houses.
The bill said It is Congress’ sense that the continued military aggression by the Chinese government along the border with India is a major concern.”
It said that China’s government should engage with India to “de-escalate the situation along the Line of Actual Control through existing diplomatic mechanisms and refrain from trying to settle disputes through coercion or force.”
Seeing Beijing’s provocative behaviour from the Himalayas to the Indo-Pacific, it condemned as “destabilising and inconsistent with international law” “the Government of China’s attempts to advance baseless territorial claims, including those in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and Bhutan.”
Budgets and other bills enacted by Congress typically include problems that are not explicitly related to them in order to make a statement or compel the government to act. He also asserted that the bill did not adequately act on China, tweeting, “THE BIGGEST WINNER OF OUR NEW DEFENSE BILL IS CHINA!. I WILL VETO!”
The bill was passed with sufficient majorities in the two chambers to over-ride a veto and should he veto it, the Congress can pass it again making it the law.
The bill calls for wide-ranging actions against China including on its spying, money laundering and recruitment of scientists, and requires assessing the defence capabilities of Beijing and competition in space.
It called for action to “deter industrial espionage and large-scale cyber theft of intellectual property and personal information” by China and requires the President to report on what the government is doing about it.
It wants the president to “demonstrate the credibility of United States resolve to defend its interests in cyberspace”.