US Senators reaffirm Arunachal Pradesh as integral part of India, condemn China’s military action

INTERNATIONAL DESK: United States Senators Bill Hagerty and Jeff Merkley have introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution reaffirming the United States’ recognition of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India and condemned China’s military aggression to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“At a time when China continues to pose grave and gathering threats to the free and open Indo-Pacific, it’s critical for the United States to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our strategic partners in the region–especially India,” said Senator Hagerty in the press release.

“This bipartisan resolution expresses the Senate’s support for unequivocally recognizing the state of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India, condemning China’s military aggression to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control, and further enhancing the US-India strategic partnership and the Quad in support of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” he added.

Making clear that the United States views Arunachal Pradesh as part of India, US Senator Jeff Merkley said that the resolution commits the US to deepen support and assistance to the region, alongside like-minded international partners and donors.

“America’s values supporting freedom and a rules-based order must be at the center of all of our actions and relationships around the world–especially as the PRC government pushes an alternative vision,” said Senator Merkley in the press release.

“This resolution makes clear that the United States views the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Republic of India–not the People’s Republic of China–and commits the US to deepening support and assistance to the region, alongside like-minded international partners and donors,” he added.

The resolution also reaffirms that the US recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary separating China and India’s state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Senators’ resolution condemns additional China’s provocations, including the People’s Republic of China’s use of military force to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control, construction of villages in contested areas, publication of maps with Mandarin-language names for cities and feature in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, and expansion of PRC territorial claims in Bhutan.

The resolution serves to further strengthen the ties between US and India partnership regarding defence, technology, economics, and people-to-people ties and promotes enhancing our multilateral cooperation with India through the Quad, the East Asia Summit alongside partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and other international fora. (ANI)