The United States Congress on Tuesday passed the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) with a bipartisan vote. The $740 billion defence policy bill calls out China’s aggression against India at the Eastern Ladakh border, amongst other things.
The bill presented in both House of Representative and the Senate was driven by Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. It included crucial components like Krishnamoorthi’s resolution urging China to back-off its military aggression against India on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The bill reflects US governments strong support for its allies and partners at a time when China is bullying countries in the Indo-pacific region.
Krishnamoorthi, who has been instrumental in the approval of this bill said, “Violent aggression is seldom the answer, and this is especially true for the Line of Actual Control, which is the disputed border region that separates the People’s Republic of China from India.”
“By including my resolution language in the NDAA and signing that legislation into law, the United States government will send a clear message that China’s military provocations of India will not be tolerated,” he added.
The Indian-American Congressman’s measure, which passed each chamber with overwhelming bipartisan support, will become law if President Donald Trump signs it.
However, Trump has been vocal about his disagreement of the NDAA and has threatened to veto the bill as it lacks a repeal of legal protections for social media companies. “THE BIGGEST WINNER OF OUR NEW DEFENSE BILL IS CHINA!. I WILL VETO!” he tweeted on Sunday.
The bill notices China’s aggression in the Asian subcontinent, especially on Indian borders and suggests that “China should work with India” towards de-escalating the confrontation along LAC in Ladakh through diplomatic resolutions.
China is also engaged in other territorial disputes with countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan South China Sea and the East China Sea.
