USA – White house concerned over the on-going tension in the Indo-Pacific region
In its first response to the China-India border standoff, the Biden administration has voiced concern over Beijing’s ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbours and said it was closely monitoring the situation. A top official of the new Biden administration also asserted that the U.S. will stand with its allies to advance its shared values in the strategically-vital Indo-Pacific region.
The incoming Biden administration will have to chart a new path for U.S. ties with India. Wherein Washington actively supported India’s rise in hopes it could help balance China, and the transactional “America first” policy followed by Trump.
Ultimately, to keep India motivated to take on Beijing, the United States will need to abide by three principles. First, the United States must return to a perceivable leadership role in regional and multilateral organisations aimed at maintaining regional peace and security, protecting the global commons, and upholding democratic values. Showing up at ASEAN and East Asia Summits, something the United States did not do last year, will be the start.
India and China are locked in a military stand-off in eastern Ladakh since May 5, 2020. The two countries have held several rounds negotiations and military talks to resolve the situation, but no improvement has been made so far.
