US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US would continue to support direct dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the border dispute between India and China.

New Delhi: The United States, on Friday (February 4), expressed concerns about China’s attempts to intimidate its neighbours and said Washington will stand by its partners and allies to advance “shared prosperity and security.”

“We have previously voiced our concerns on Beijing’s pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors. We stand with friends, we stand with partners and allies, to advance our shared prosperity, security, and values in the Indo-Pacific,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

On being asked if ongoing tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine have impacted US-India ties, he said, “No. We have a relationship with India that stands on its own, that stands on its own merits.”

On China making a PLA soldier involved in the Galwan clash as Beijing Winter Olympics torchbearer, Price said, “When it comes to the broader issue of India-China border situation, we continue to support direct dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the border disputes.”

Meanwhile, two key American senators slammed China for its decision to field Qi Fabao, the regimental commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), who was injured during the June 2020 border clash with the Indian army in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as the torchbearer for the Games Torch Relay.

“Another outrageous example of the CCP’s flagrant politicization of Beijing2022. Their decision to choose a soldier who participated in a 2020 ambush against Indian troops as torchbearer is appalling and deliberately provocative,” Florida Senator Marco Rubio said.

In a tweet, Senator Jim Risch said, “It’s shameful that Beijing chose a torchbearer for the Olympics 2022, who was part of the military command that attacked India in 2020 and is implementing genocide against the Uyghurs.”

“The US will continue to support Uyghur freedoms and the sovereignty of India,” Risch wrote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi alleged that it is an attempt of the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party to use the glamour of the Olympics to showcase a façade that distracts global attention from egregious human rights abuses in China.

She said, “These efforts generate many questions that the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) explored throughout 2021 regarding the policies of the International Olympic Committee, the nexus between major sporting events and human rights.”