Three influential Senators from the United States (US) Senate introduced a resolution on Thursday in the US Senate that, in a rare bipartisan show of unwavering support for India, reaffirms the state of Arunachal Pradesh as a “integral part of India,” affirms India’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity,” denounces China for using “military force” to alter the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and other provocations, and applauds the
The resolution, which was introduced by Jeff Markley and Bill Haggerty and was co-sponsored by John Cornyn, also backs India’s defence modernization and diversification, commends the country for its development efforts in Arunachal Pradesh, including the improvement of border infrastructure, pledges to increase US assistance in the area, implores allies to increase their aid to Arunachal Pradesh, and supports the bilateral relationship between the US and India, including the recent initiative on climate change (ICET).
Markley is an Oregon senator and a radical Democrat who also holds the position of co-chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China. Former US envoy to Japan, Haggerty. The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee includes both of them (SFRC). Additionally, Cornyn is a current member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a co-founder and co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, and a past majority whip in the Senate.
A first move was taken with the introduction of the resolution, which is titled “Reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and condemning the People’s Republic of China’s provocations in South Asia.” It has been forwarded to the SFRC, and if Bob Menendez, the head, decides to take it up, it will. Depending on how it does in committee, it could either be brought up as a stand-alone motion or as a component of more comprehensive legislation.
But for a number of reasons, simply introducing the resolution sends a strong symbolic statement of support. One, despite the fact that the US officially recognises Arunachal as being a part of India and that the US Congress passed a resolution in 2020 denouncing China for its incursions and aggression after the Galwan incident, this is the first time that a comprehensive resolution of this kind has been introduced in the Senate, echoing India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh and broader Chinese aggression at the LAC. Two: It expressly supports and applauds India for the stance it has taken regarding Chinese actions, going beyond simply denouncing China’s actions. And finally, it is a bipartisan issue that enjoys the backing of both the traditional and progressive wings of the Republican Party.
The resolution begins by outlining the background, stating that the US has recognised the McMahon Line as the international border between China and the “Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh” since the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and that the US recognises Arunachal “not as disputed territory” but as a “integral part of the Republic of India” without any qualifications.
According to the resolution, China has used Arunachal as part of “its increasingly aggressive and expansionist policies,” referring to it as “South Tibet,” and claims it as part of its land. The article then makes reference to an Arunachal map from December 2021 that was released by China’s ministry of civil affairs. On that map, 15 geographical features were given names in Mandarin, including “eight residential settlements, four mountain peaks, two rivers, and one mountain pass, as well as the names of the administrative regions where each of these are located.” The resolution notes that in December 2022, Chinese and Indian forces engaged in a skirmish along the LAC in Arunachal, which it refers to as “the biggest clash in the Eastern Sector in six years.”
Additionally, it claims that starting in April 2020, the People’s Liberation Army of China made “provocative moves” in the Western Sector of the LAC, which included “increasing troop deployments, building new infrastructure in contested areas, and harassing Indian patrols, particularly around the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Pangong Lake.” The resolution claims that these Chinese provocations shattered the then-improving India-China relationship and sparked the conflict in the Galwan valley, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian troops.
The resolution claims that China also extended its territorial claims in Bhutanese territory in the Eastern Sector and built two Chinese villages close to the LAC near Arunachal. According to the article, Arunachal contains Tawang, which is “the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso,” and that China has raised diplomatic concerns about the Dalai Lama’s visits to Arunachal as well as denied visas to “residents of the Indian state” for travel to China.
According to India’s 2021 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, China’s provocations “hinder poverty alleviation and economic development in Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 25% of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, leading many international donors to be cautious of providing assistance due to the state’s perceived status as disputed territory,” the resolution claims.
It then outlines India’s actions, highlighting how the Vibrant Villages programme has increased government funding for housing, tourism attractions, road connectivity, village infrastructure, border infrastructure, and decentralised renewable energy production. Along with securing its telecommunications infrastructure and performing investment screening, India has “taken measures to defend itself against aggression and security threats” from China.
The resolution says that it is in the US’s best interest to cooperate with India both bilaterally and multilaterally through the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and I2U2. The document acknowledges the US-India Major Defense Partnership’s significant and ongoing advancements, “including ambitions for building an advanced and comprehensive defence partnership in which the armed forces of the United States and India coordinate across all domains,” and the important leadership role that India is playing on the international stage, including as the G20 President this year.
In light of this, the resolution binds the Senate to “unequivocally” recognise Arunachal Pradesh as a necessary component of India and to support the nation’s territorial integrity and authority.
The resolution “condemns” China’s “use of military force to change the status quo” along the LAC and its “additional provocations,” which include building villages in disputed areas, extending its territorial claims in Bhutan, and publishing maps that give cities and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh names in Mandarin.
Following that, the resolution praises India for taking action to protect itself from Chinese aggression and security threats, “including by securing its telecommunications infrastructure, reviewing its procurement processes and supply chains, implementing investment screening standards, and expanding its cooperation with Taiwan in public health and other sectors.”
A not-so-subtle reference to Russia is made in the resolution, which also supports the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and India’s modernization of its military, including its diversification “away from countries that fail to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other nations.” It commends India for stepping up its development efforts in Arunachal, particularly for enhancing connectivity, border infrastructure, and energy security, including the generation of renewable energy.
Last but not least, the resolution pledges to increase US support for the area, including through USAID and the State Department, “using financing mechanisms like the Countering PRC Influence Fund.” “Like-minded foreign partners and donors” are urged to step up their support for Arunachal Pradesh. Additionally, it encourages “enhanced defence interoperability and information-sharing, especially for early warning systems,” ICET, further economic cooperation, extensive and long-standing people-to-people ties, as well as multilaterally through the Quad, East Asia Summit, and other international forums. It also supports the development of the bilateral partnership.
