GUWAHATI: The United States wants Beijing to avoid coercion and settle disputes with its neighbours amicably, the country’s diplomats and military officials on tour of northeast India said here on Tuesday.
The US also said that better ties and cooperation between India and China are “good for the world”.
“The US policy since the 1960s has been to recognise the McMahon Line, and we believe China should avoid coercion and settle boundary and other disputes amicably,” said Craig Hall, US Consul General based in Kolkata.
There are well-established international norms to settle boundary disputes, Mr. Hall said in reference to China’s claim on Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing calls South Tibet. “Stronger trade and political ties between India and China is good for the world,” he added while alluding to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan.
Beijing does not recognise the 4,057 km McMahon Line that was decided upon in a 1914 agreement between the erstwhile British administration in India and the Tibetan rulers. China occupied Tibet in 1959 and had attacked Arunachal Pradesh in 1962.
Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080 km border with China.
For conflict-free Asia
The US, Mr. Hall said, has a similar stand on the South China Sea dispute. China claims ownership of the sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.
“Our goal is to ensure the freedom of the seas and sky, and insulate sovereign nations from external coercion,” Mr. Hall said.
Brigadier General David E. Brigham, Defence Attaché at the US Embassy in New Delhi, said the US was working towards developing the defence ecosystem in India through technological cooperation.
“The US and India are working bilaterally, and in cooperation with other like-minded partners like Japan and Australia, to advance our shared vision for an open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region,” the defence attaché said.
He said the US wants to upgrade India’s defence production but admitted it would be difficult for India to “change overnight” as 70% of the country’s defence infrastructure is Russian origin.
