According to a Pentagon report, China has warned US officials not to interfere in its relations with India.

Amid the ongoing standoff with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Chinese officials sought to downplay the severity of the crisis, emphasising Beijing’s intent to preserve border stability and prevent the standoff from harming other areas of its bilateral relationship with India, the Pentagon said in a report to the US Congress on Chinese military buildup.

“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) seeks to prevent border tensions from causing India to partner more closely with the US. PRC officials have warned US officials not to interfere with the PRC’s relationship with India,” the report further said.

In a section on the China-India border, the Pentagon said throughout 2021, the PLA ( People’s Liberation Army) sustained the deployment of forces and continued infrastructure build-up along the LAC.

Since May 2020, Chinese and Indian forces have clashed with stones, sticks and clubs wrapped in barbed wire at several places along the LAC. The resulting standoff spurred a military buildup on both sides of the border.

“Each country demanded the withdrawal of the other’s forces and a return to pre-standoff conditions, but neither China nor India agreed on those conditions,” the report said.

“The PRC blamed the standoff on Indian infrastructure construction, which it perceived as encroaching on PRC territory, while India accused China of launching aggressive incursions into India’s territory,” it added.

Since the 2020 conflict, the PLA has maintained a constant force presence and continued to build infrastructure along the LAC, the report further added.

(With inputs from PTI)