White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has hinted that New Delhi has the support of US Military in its conflict with Beijing.
"The message is clear. Our military might stands strong and will continue to stand strong, whether it's in relationship to a conflict between India and China or anywhere else,” the White House official told Fox News.
Meadows comments come as India and China continue their border stand-off in the Eastern Ladakh region along the loosely demarcated Line of Actual Control that marks the loosely defined border between the two countries.
Meadows added that the US is “not going to stand by and let China or anyone else take the reins in terms of being the most powerful, dominant force, whether it's in that region or over here”.
The US and China are locked in several conflicts, ranging from a trade war to territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The US has also accused China of unleashing the coronavirus pandemic across the globe.
On Monday, the US sent two aircraft carriers to the contested waters of the South China Sea for the first time in six years.
US military support for India in its conflict with China comes as an extension of US policy to counter Beijing in the Asia-Pacific region.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during the virtual Brussels Forum 2020 of the German Marshall Fund on 25 June, provides details of the Trump administration’s plan to withdraw troops from Germany and said that Washington is going to make sure “we’re postured appropriately” to counter the People’s Liberation Army of China.
“We think that's the challenge of our times, and we’re going to make sure we have resources in place to do that,” Pompeo said.
The troops of India and China are locked in an eight-week standoff in several areas in eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and the Gogra Hot Spring.
The situation deteriorated last month, following Galwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army personnel killed as the two sides significantly bolstered their deployments in most areas along the LAC.