Beijing has commented on a Pentagon report that alleged it was trying to prevent relations between New Delhi and Washington from “deepening”
Beijing has accused the US of attempting to “drive a wedge between China and other countries” and of seeking to undermine its ties with India.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian branded the US approach “irresponsible,” referring to a recent Pentagon report on relations with India.
“The US report distorts China’s defense policy, seeks to drive a wedge between China and other countries, and provides excuses for maintaining its own military hegemony. China firmly opposes this.” Lin said.
Lin was answering a question from an RT correspondent on a recently released Pentagon report, which suggested that China “probably seeks to capitalize” on decreased tensions along Line of Actual Control (LAC), the disputed border with India, in order to stabilize bilateral relations and “prevent the deepening” of US-India ties.
Lin added that China views its ties with India from a strategic and long-term perspective and is willing to strengthen communication with its neighbor and enhance mutual trust.
”The China-India border issue is a matter between the two countries. The overall situation along the China-India border remains stable, and communication channels between the two sides are open. We oppose any country making comments on this matter,” the spokesperson asserted.
Ties between Beijing and New Delhi have improved significantly after a nearly five-year standstill caused by deadly border clashes in June 2020. The thaw in relations began after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2024 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. During their meeting in Kazan, the leaders of the two nations agreed to restore bilateral ties, including business, tourism, and cultural connections.
In October, direct flights between China and India officially resumed after a hiatus of five years. The two countries also fully restored visa services to each other’s citizens. Earlier this week, China launched an online application system to speed up the visa process for travelers from India. New Delhi also dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month to fast-track business visas for Chinese professionals, Reuters reported earlier this month.
