US on India-China clash in Tawang: 'Closely watching LAC situation, China continues to amass forces'

The United States Department of Defense continues to watch the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the India-China border, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said while accusing China of "building military infrastructure". He said the US "fully supports India's efforts to control the situation"

"We have seen People's Republic of China (PRC) continues to amass forces and build military infrastructure along so-called LAC," Ryder was quoted by ANI as saying. He said it is important to point out the growing trend by the PRC to assert itself and be proactive in areas directed toward the US allies and our partners in Indo-Pacific.

The statement came days after clashes were reported between the Indian soldiers and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the reports saying that the clashes happened early on Decmebr 9.

Singh said China PLA troops "encroached upon and attempted to change the status quo" in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector. "This attempt was tackled by our troops in a determined manner. Our troops bravely stopped the PLA from encroaching upon our territory and forced them to go back to their post," Singh said in identical statements in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Reacting on the incident, Ned Price, spokesman for the US Department of State, was quoted by News 18 as saying: "We are glad to hear that both sides appear to have quickly disengaged from the clashes. I don’t have anything to offer in terms of the timing behind the most recent clashes, but we’re continuing to monitor very closely and to engage with our Indian partners."