New Delhi (TIP): A United States intelligence report has said that despite some force pullback from the Line of Actual Control, the tension between India and China remains high as China seeks to use coordinated tools to demonstrate its growing strength and compel regional neighbours to acquiesce to Beijing’s preferences, including its claims over disputed territory.

“China-India border tensions remain high, despite some force pullbacks this year China’s occupation since May 2020 of contested border areas is the most serious escalation in decades and led to the first lethal border clash between the two countries since 1975. As of mid-February, after multiple rounds of talks, both sides were pulling back forces and equipment for some sites along the disputed border” the Annual Threat assessment of the US intelligence community, by the office of the director of the national intelligence read.

The report states that Beijing is increasing combining its growing military power with its economic, technological, and diplomatic clout to secure what it views as its territory and regional preeminence and pursue international cooperation at Washington’s expense.

As per the US intelligence report, in the South China Sea, Beijing will continue to intimidate rival claimants and will use growing numbers of air, naval, and maritime law enforcement platforms to signal to Southeast Asian countries that China has effective control over contested areas. China is similarly pressuring Japan over contested areas in the East China Sea. “China will continue pursuing its goals of becoming a great power, securing what it views as its territory, and establishing its preeminence in regional affairs by building a world-class military, potentially destabilizing international norms and relationships. China’s military commitment includes a multiyear agenda of comprehensive military reform initiatives”, the report reads. The report suggests that China has been building a large and increasingly capable nuclear missile force that is more survivable, more diverse, and on higher alert than in the past, including nuclear missile systems designed to manage regional escalation and ensure an intercontinental second-strike capability.

          Source: News 18