‘None of China’s business’: US echoes India's views in rejecting Beijing's objection to 'Yudh Abhyas'

'Yudh Abhyas' is an exercise conducted annually between India and the US where the armies of the two nations exchange best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures.

New Delhi, Dec 02: Echoing India's views, a senior-most American diplomat on Friday said military exercises by India and the US are none of China's business and Washington will back New Delhi's efforts to develop its capabilities to face regional challenges.

"On the exercises and China's comment on it, I would point you to the kind of statements that we've heard from our Indian colleagues to the effect that it's really none of their business," chargé d'affaires (CDA) Elizabeth Jones told reporters in Delhi.

India on Thursday rejected Chinese objection to the joint Indo-US military exercises being held in Auli of Uttarakhand near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"Let me emphasise that the exercises that are going on with the US in Auli have nothing to do with the 1993 and 1996 agreements," external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a weekly media briefing.

"But since these [exercises] were raised and we are talking about them and it was raised by the Chinese side, let me emphasise that the Chinese side needs to reflect and think about its own breach of these agreements of 1993 and 1996," he said.

China had raised objection to the ongoing Indo-US military exercise which is being held near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), saying that it violates the spirit of the two border agreements signed between New Delhi and Beijing.

"The joint military exercise between India and the US close to the LAC at the China-India border violates the spirit of the agreement between China and India in 1993 and 1996," PTI quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian as saying during a media briefing.

"It does not serve the mutual trust between China and India", he said in response to a question posed by a correspondent from Pakistan.

India and the United States are holding the 18th edition of Indo -US joint training exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 22' in Uttarakhand's Auli. It is an exercise conducted annually between India and the US with the aim of exchanging best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures between the armies of the two nations. Last year, it was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.

It is interesting to note that India had termed the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) attempts to move a large number of troops to the disputed areas in the LAC in eastern Ladakh in May 2020 violated the bilateral agreements which state that the boundary question is resolved through peaceful and friendly consultations.