The latest Chinese activities are similar to past activities from Beijing to the Indian border, he said.
Washington:
China’s opening of several fronts like the Indian border may be due to Beijing’s assessment that the world is distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic and could benefit from it, a US diplomat said on Thursday. high level.
Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell made the remark, adding that the Trump administration is closely monitoring the situation in Indochina.
The latest Chinese activities with India are similar to past activities from Beijing to the Indian border, including Doklam, Stilwell told reporters during a conference call.
“One explanation for (China) creating multiple fronts like this is an assessment in Beijing that the world is distracted and focused entirely on survival (now), recovering from the corona pandemic, which can then be seen as an opportunity to enjoy the distraction, “said Stillwell.
“I’m not going to offer an official position from the United States government on this, but there are many explanations for it (in the public domain),” he said, responding to a question about the aggressive behavior of the China with its neighbors, including India.
“What we are doing, we are obviously observing the border dispute between India and China,” said Stillwell, during the conference call after the Hawaii meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the top diplomat Chinese Yang Jiechi to exchange views on bilateral relations and the coronavirus pandemic.
“This activity is similar to the activity we have seen in the past on border disputes with the PRC (People’s Republic of China), and again, I would like to point them out to you – I think it was in 2015 when Xi Jinping went to India the first time, “he said.
“The People’s Liberation Army (APL) has invaded this contested area deeper and longer, with more people than ever before. Whether it’s a negotiation tactic or just a punch in the nose to demonstrate their superiority , I don’t know, “he said.
“But then we saw the Doklam problem near Bhutan, where we saw similar concerns. I would have liked to know. Again, we don’t have a lot of visibility and we don’t have a lot of open dialogue with our Chinese counterparts, and honestly, I would like to see more of this if we can, “said Stillwell.
At the press conference, Stilwell did not confirm whether the ongoing Indo-Chinese border conflict had occurred during the Pompeo-Yang talks. But the State Department official expressed concern over recent Chinese behavior in the region.
“The actions we have seen recently in the PRC – and you all know by watching the pace – have not been really constructive when we look at India, the South China Sea, the Hong Kong issues, and just” In the periphery, things like commerce have unfortunately not been able to live up to the billing, “said Stillwell.
The United States is seeking a constructive, results-oriented relationship that is fair and reciprocal with China, he said, adding that this involves not only conversations but actions.
In addition to discussions on areas like North Korea, Pompeo insisted at the meeting that the Chinese divulge everything they know about the start of this pandemic, to share any information they have that could save lives. lives, he said.
“It is not about saving face; it is about saving lives. And we insist that they respect their agreements with the WHO and international health regulations to make them open because that goes beyond politics” , did he declare.
“We need to understand and assess that when I speak of a constructive and results-oriented relationship, words are good but will be judged by deeds. If we have words of peace but we have aggressive actions, then we are going to have to increase the pressure to deal with this, “he said.
In this country, the United States is not alone, he added.
“This is not a Chinese-American event. It is not a Chinese-American problem. It is China against many others. We have just seen a very strong G7 statement on Hong Kong which demonstrates that the world is “concerned about this behavior,” he said.
“The purpose of these talks was to help the Chinese government understand that their actions are really working against them and that if they come to the table with a reasonable proposal, the United States will obviously salute it reasonably and look for ways to work towards a positive outcome, “said Stillwell.
