Closer India-US ties important amidst Chinese 'aggression': US lawmakers

Throwing ir weight behind India-US relationship which enjoys bipartisan support, two top American lawmakers have said that close partnership between two countries assumes significance in view of "aggression" that New Delhi faces from Beijing.

Writing jointly to demonstrate strong bipartisan support for US-India relationship, Chairman and Ranking Member of House Committee on Foreign Affairs in a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said members of both parties recognise impact that a strong US-India partnership will have on trajectory of 21st century.

"As Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi said in February of this year, our ties 'are longer just ar partnership. It is a far greater and closer relationship'", said letter signed by Eliot Engel, Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee and Michael T McCaul, its Ranking Member.

"This closer relationship is all more important as India faces aggression from China along your shared border, which is part of Chinese government's consistent pattern of unlawful and belligerent territorial aggression across Indo-Pacific," two powerful Congressmen said.

ir remarks came amid border face-off between India and China in eastern Lakh. Twenty Indian army personnel were killed during clashes with Chinese troops in eastern Lakh's Galwan Valley on June 15. Chinese side also suffered casualties in clashes but it is yet to give out details. number of casualties on Chinese side was 35, according to a US intelligence report. United States will remain stefast in support of India's efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said letter dated August 5 and was tweeted by House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"As champions of US-India relationship, we have been delighted to see our countries' close cooperation on issues from defense to climate change. It is because of our support for bilateral relationship that we te with concern that conditions in Jammu and Kashmir have t rmalised one year after India's repeal of Article 370 and establishment of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory," y wrote.

"We ackwledge ongoing serious security and counterterrorism concerns in region and look forward to working with your government to dress se concerns while upholding our shared commitments to democratic values and freedoms on which our countries’ bond was built," lawmakers wrote.

"As Prime Minister Modi said earlier this year, 'Unity in diversity and unity's vibrancy is key to a strong relationship between India and America'. We look forward to working with you to continue to strengn and vance this vibrant and consequential relationship," Engel and McCaul wrote.