China Says U.S. Attempts to Undermine Ties with India

(MENAFN) Beijing has condemned the US for allegedly attempting to "drive a wedge between China and other countries" and deliberately sabotaging its diplomatic relationship with India.

During a Thursday media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denounced the US strategy as "irresponsible," referencing a recent Pentagon assessment addressing 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's remarks came in response to a question from a correspondent regarding the newly published Pentagon report, which claimed that China "probably seeks to capitalize" on reduced tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the contested border with India, to stabilize bilateral relations and "prevent the deepening" of US-India ties.

Lin emphasized that China approaches its partnership with India through a strategic and long-term lens and remains committed to strengthening communication with its neighbor while building 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.

Relations between Beijing and New Delhi have experienced dramatic improvement following a nearly five-year freeze triggered by fatal border confrontations in June 2020. The diplomatic breakthrough occurred after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in October 2024 during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

The Kazan summit produced an agreement between both leaders to restore bilateral connections, encompassing business, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

Direct aviation links between China and India officially restarted in October after a five-year suspension. Both nations have completely restored visa services for each other's citizens. Earlier this week, China introduced an online application platform to accelerate visa processing for travelers from India. New Delhi simultaneously eliminated a layer of bureaucratic oversight and reduced visa approval timeframes to under one month to expedite business visas for Chinese professionals, media reported earlier this month.

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