BEIJING: Amid the United States and India conducting joint military exercises close to the disputed border, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has issued a warning against the involvement of "third parties" in the Sino-India border dispute.
Chinese National Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Tan Kefei said during a routine press conference in Beijing on Thursday that China strongly rejects any outside interference in the Sino-India border dispute.
The remarks were made during a joint exercise conducted by US and Indian special forces in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, which began on August 8.
Less than 100 kilometers (62 mi) from the controversial Sino-India border, the two armies will hold another joint exercise in Auli in the Indian state of Uttarakhand from October 18 to 31.
Beijing and Washington have differences over Taiwan, and as retaliation for a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month, the PLA is conducting unprecedented military exercises around the island.
Beijing abruptly halted several defense consultations with the United States shortly after Pelosi's visit.
According to Tan, the dispute over the China-India border is between the two countries. Both sides have agreed to appropriately handle the situation through bilateral discussions and have maintained effective communication at all levels.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated over a border dispute after a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. To end the standoff, the two sides have held 16 rounds of commander-level talks.
There have been some signs of progress in talks in recent months. According to a readout from the Chinese side, the two armies concluded their most recent round of talks in July, deciding to stabilize the border areas and take bilateral ties forward.
Tan said neither side is allowed to conduct military exercises along the Line of Actual Control, which serves as the de facto border between India and the Tibet Autonomous Region of western China and was signed by China and India in 1993 and 1996, respectively. was signed.
Tan urged India to stick to its promise of resolving border disputes.
According to The Hindu, citing a statement by the Indian Army, the 13th iteration of the ongoing US-India joint exercise titled "Purva Vajra Prahar 2022" is aimed at improving joint mission planning, operational strategy and coordination between the special forces of the two countries. will cover. ,
The exercise "Yudh Abhyas" in October will focus on high-altitude combat training. The annual training began in 2002 as the largest joint military training between nations. The exercise is conducted alternately in India and the United States.
According to Lin Minwang, Professor of South Asian Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, Beijing was closely monitoring US-India exercises near the disputed border, and the timing of Tan's remarks indicated that Beijing "realizes that the exercises Totally targets China". On the training techniques and weapons used.
China is wary of the US participating in military exercises close to the disputed border, Lin said, especially in light of Beijing's displeasure with India's most recent response to issues relating to Taiwan.
The Indian Foreign Ministry, in its initial response to Pelosi's visit on August 12, said India was "concerned" about the development of the Taiwan Strait and urged "exercise restraint" and avoid unilateral action to change the status quo. region.
According to Lin, India's requests for "restraint" from the PLA demonstrated that the nation was working with the US on Taiwan, which "sent a bad signal" to Beijing.
According to Lin, the US planned to "encircle China in two directions" - from the east through its alliance with Taipei and from the southwest through India.
He claimed that the next round of border talks between China and India could be delayed or hindered the exercise.
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