China Tried to Seize Indian Land Using COVID-19 Crisis: US Cong

India and China are engaged in military and diplomatic deliberations to de-escalate the tensions along border.

Image used for representational purposes. 

(Image: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

China used the opportunity of COVID-19 crisis to attempt to seize territory belonging to India, said an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed unanimously by the US House of Representatives.

The amendment not just slammed China's aggression against India in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh but also questioned its growing assertiveness in and around disputed areas like the South China Sea.

Introduced by Congressman Steve Chabot along with Indian-American lawmaker Ami Bera, the amendment said that both India and China should work together to de-escalate tensions along the LAC.

India and China are engaged in military and diplomatic deliberations to de-escalate the tense situation in the border areas in Ladakh. The countries are locked in a 10-week-long stand-off at multiple points, hitherto unprecedented along the border.

The Indian Army said on 16 July that the disengagement process on the LAC with China is "intricate and requires constant verification". The army added that India is taking the de-escalation process forward through "regular meetings at the diplomatic and military level".

On 15 June, as many as 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley.

(With inputs from IANS)