Only way to stop China is by standing up to it: US on LAC tensions

Washington: The US State Department said today that it was "closely monitoring" the situation along the Line of Actual Control(LAC) after China accused Indian troops of trespassing.

The State Department added that it hoped for "peaceful resolution" to the issue.

"As secretary of state Mike Pompeo said on several occasions, what's so disturbing is emergence of clear pattern of Beijing acting increasingly aggressively, both domestically and abroad," the US State Department spokesman was quoted by newswire ANI as saying.

"From Taiwan Strait to Xinjiang, South China Sea to Himalayas, cyberspace to international organizations, we're dealing with Chinese Communist Party that seeks to repress its own people & bully its neighbours," it said.

"Only way to stop these provocations is by standing up to Beijing," the State Department added.

India on Tuesday said that China engaged in "provocative military manoeuvres" on the night of August 29 and August 30 to change the "status quo" in the south bank area of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India was able to prevent unilateral attempts by China to alter the status quo once again.

"On August 31, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.