New Delhi: China on Tuesday slammed the US saying victims of the US coercion and bullying include its allies and partners with developing countries bearing the brunt of it. "China is a contributor to world peace and prosperity. It is the US, not China, that resorts to all types of measures for coercion and hegemony. Victims of US coercion and bullying include its allies and partners, with developing countries bearing the brunt of a t", spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, Wang Xiaojian tweeted.
The reaction comes after US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin on Monday said that the US-India cooperation matters "because we all face a rapidly changing world. We see 'bullying and coercion' from the People's Republic of China and Russian aggression against Ukraine that seeks to redraw borders and threatens national sovereignty." Austin held bilateral talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Both sides, concluded an ambitious roadmap for defence industrial cooperation to fast-track technology tie-ups and co-production of military platforms like air combat and land systems, to counter China's aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
Also read: China slams US General for criticising its military build-up at Sino-India border as 'alarming'
Both the leaders held talks on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation as well as security of the Indo-Pacific region and the China threat in New Delhi's neighbourhood. Taking a dig at China and commenting on Chinese hegemony at the Line of Actual Control, the US Defence Secretary said, "I don't want to get into speculation... several things can always happen. I want to make sure we do everything we can to ensure things don't happen. And part of that is to communicate with each other and prevent any incidents from escalating out of control,"
Hitting out at the US Defence Secretary's remark on the India-China border issue, the Chinese embassy spokesperson in New Delhi, Wang Xiaojian today said, "The current China-India border situation is overall stable. The boundary question is a matter between China and India and brooks no interference of any third party". Since 2020, the ties between India and China have been at an all-time low due to China's repeated attempts to intrude on Indian territories. The situation took an ugly turn after the Galwan Valley standoff that worsen the ties.
