US Tests China With Visit to India's Border

U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti visited the state of Arunachal Pradesh in a move likely to provoke a strong response from China.

Ambassador Garcetti's visit to Arunachal Pradesh not only represents a diplomatic gesture of solidarity with India but also potentially signals a shift in the American stance in a region witnessing increasing Chinese assertiveness. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as "South Tibet".

Ambassador Garcetti's first visit to Arunachal Pradesh was enthusiastically shared on Indian social media. "Hello Arunachal Pradesh! I am excited for my first trip here, and am captivated by the warmth of the people. The landscapes in Pasighat are stunning!" he wrote on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

China has yet to officially respond to the visit by Garcetti's latest visit.

The last U.S. ambassador's tour to the region was in 2019, when then Ambassador Kenneth Juster visited Arunachal Pradesh's capital, Tawang.

In the past, China had strongly criticized U.S. diplomatic visits. After former Ambassador Richard Verma's 2016 visit to Arunachal Pradesh, it said, "U.S. interference will only make the dispute more complicated, disturb peace and tranquility of border areas and sabotage peaceful development of the region."

During his stay, Garcetti visited the 'Hump World War- II' museum, a significant site housing the remains of an American aircraft that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh during World War II.

This museum commemorates a lesser-known aspect of the war, where the United States flew supplies over the Himalayas to Chinese forces on a route famously known as 'The Hump.' The perilous route saw several aircraft lost in the remote jungles and mountains, a testament to the challenges faced during the war.

Garcetti's visit comes nearly a year after a border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Yangtse region of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, underscoring the sensitivity of the region.

The December 9, 2022, incident, which occurred along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the disputed boundary between India and China, involved Chinese forces armed with primitive weapons trying to dislodge an Indian Army outpost, according to Indian media.

Indian military commanders' intervention forced the Chinese troops to retreat, thus maintaining the status quo, the media said. The confrontation resulted in minor injuries on both sides, but no severe injuries or fatalities were reported. China said at that time that its forces behaved in a professional and resolute way and brought the situation under control.

During recent border clashes between China and India, the U.S. has provided New Delhi with intelligence to thwart Beijing's ingress in Arunachal Pradesh, according to U.S. News.