A resolution reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and condemning the People's Republic of China's provocations in South Asia.

III Calendar No. 155 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 75 Reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and condemning the People’s Republic of China’s provocations in South Asia. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 16, 2023 Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Mr. KAINE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JULY 25, 2023 Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble [Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] RESOLUTION Reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian terri- tory and condemning the People’s Republic of China’s provocations in South Asia. Whereas, since the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the United States has recognized the McMahon Line as the inter- national boundary between the People’s Republic of China and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •SRES 75 RS Whereas the United States recognizes the state of Arunachal Pradesh not as disputed territory but as an integral part of the Republic of India, and this recognition is not quali- fied in any way; Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own territory, which it calls ‘‘South Tibet’’, and has invoked these claims as part of its increasingly aggressive and expansionist policies; Whereas, in December 2021, the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs published a detailed map of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which assigned Man- darin-language names to 15 geographic features, includ- ing eight residential settlements, four mountain peaks, two rivers, and one mountain pass, as well as the names of the administrative regions where each of these are lo- cated; Whereas, in December 2022, People’s Republic of China and Indian troops engaged in a skirmish in Arunachal Pradesh along the Line of Actual Control, the biggest clash in the Eastern Sector in six years; Whereas the People’s Liberation Army engaged in provoca- tive moves in the Western Sector along the Line of Ac- tual Control starting in April 2020, including increasing troop deployments, building new infrastructure in con- tested areas, and harassing Indian patrols, particularly around the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Pangong Lake; Whereas these provocations by the People’s Republic of China upended then-improving India-China relations and ulti- mately led to the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •SRES 75 RS Whereas the People’s Republic of China has constructed two Chinese villages close to the Line of Actual Control near Arunachal Pradesh and expanded its territorial claims in Bhutanese territory in the Eastern Sector; Whereas Arunachal Pradesh contains the Buddhist town of Tawang, home to the revered Tawang Monastery and is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso; Whereas the People’s Republic of China has raised diplomatic objections to visits to Arunachal Pradesh by the Dalai Lama and other leaders and has refused to grant resi- dents of the Indian state visas for travel to China; Whereas the provocations by the People’s Republic of China impede poverty alleviation and economic development in Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 25 percent of the popu- lation lives in multidimensional poverty according to In- dia’s 2021 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, leading many international donors to be cautious of pro- viding assistance due to the state’s perceived status as disputed territory; Whereas the Government of India has increased its funding for border infrastructure to improve accessibility in Arunachal Pradesh, as well as for village infrastructure, housing, tourist centers, road connectivity, and decentral- ized renewable energy production through India’s Vibrant Villages program; Whereas the Government of India has taken steps to defend itself from aggression and security threats from the Peo- ple’s Republic of China, including through securing its telecommunications infrastructure and conducting invest- ment screening; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •SRES 75 RS Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to work both bilaterally with India through our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, as well as multilaterally through the Quad with Japan and Australia, and through the I2U2 with Israel and the United Arab Emirates; Whereas there is significant and continuing progress in the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership, including ambi- tions for building an advanced and comprehensive defense partnership in which the Armed Forces of the United States and India coordinate across all domains; and Whereas the Government of India is playing a significant leadership role on the global stage, including as part of its G20 presidency in 2023: Now, therefore, be it Whereas, since the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the United States has recognized the McMahon Line as the international boundary between the People’s Republic of China and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh; Whereas the United States recognizes the state of Arunachal Pradesh not as disputed territory but as an integral part of the Republic of India, and this recognition is not quali- fied in any way; Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China claims large portions of Arunachal Pradesh as its own ter- ritory, which it calls ‘‘South Tibet’’, and has invoked these claims as part of its increasingly aggressive and expan- sionist policies; Whereas, in December 2021, the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs published a detailed map of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which assigned Man- darin-language names to 15 geographic features, including eight residential settlements, four mountain peaks, two riv- VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •SRES 75 RS ers, and one mountain pass, as well as the names of the administrative regions where each of these are located; Whereas, in December 2022, People’s Republic of China and Indian troops engaged in a skirmish in Arunachal Pradesh along the McMahon Line, the most significant clash in the Eastern Sector of the disputed India-China border in six years; Whereas the People’s Liberation Army disregarded established protocols and engaged in provocative moves in the Western Sector of the disputed India-China border starting in April 2020, including increasing troop deployments, build- ing new infrastructure in contested areas, and harassing Indian patrols, particularly around the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Pangong Lake; Whereas these provocations by the People’s Republic of China upended India-China relations and ultimately led to the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers; Whereas the People’s Republic of China has constructed two villages close to the McMahon Line near Arunachal Pradesh and expanded its territorial claims in Bhutanese territory in the Eastern Sector of the disputed India- China border; Whereas Arunachal Pradesh contains the Buddhist town of Tawang, home to the revered Tawang Monastery and is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso; Whereas the People’s Republic of China has raised diplomatic objections to visits to Arunachal Pradesh by the Dalai Lama and other leaders and has refused to grant residents of the Indian state visas for travel to China; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •SRES 75 RS Whereas the provocations by the People’s Republic of China impede poverty alleviation and economic development in Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 25 percent of the popu- lation lives in multidimensional poverty according to In- dia’s 2021 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, lead- ing many international donors to be cautious of providing assistance due to the state’s misperceived status as dis- puted territory; Whereas the Government of India has increased its funding for border infrastructure to improve accessibility in Arunachal Pradesh, as well as for village infrastructure, housing, tourist centers, road connectivity, and decentral- ized clean energy production through India’s Vibrant Vil- lages program; Whereas the Government of India has taken steps to defend itself from provocations and security threats from the Peo- ple’s Republic of China, including through securing its telecommunications infrastructure and conducting invest- ment screening; Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to work both bilaterally with India through our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, as well as multilaterally through the Quad with Japan and Australia, and through the I2U2 with Israel and the United Arab Emirates; and Whereas there is significant and continuing progress in the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership, including ambi- tions for building an advanced and comprehensive defense partnership in which the Armed Forces of the United States and India coordinate across all domains: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •SRES 75 RS (1) unequivocally recognizes the state of 1 Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of the Repub- 2 lic of India and supports the country’s sovereignty 3 and territorial integrity; 4 (2) condemns the People’s Republic of China’s 5 use of military force to change the status quo along 6 the Line of Actual Control, as well as additional 7 provocations including the construction of villages in 8 contested areas, expansion of territorial claims in 9 Bhutan, and publication of maps assigning Man- 10 darin-language names to cities and features in the 11 Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh; 12 (3) commends the Government of India for tak- 13 ing steps to defend itself against aggression and se- 14 curity threats from the People’s Republic of China, 15 including through securing its telecommunications 16 infrastructure, examining its procurement processes 17 and supply chains, implementing investment screen- 18 ing standards, and expanding its cooperation with 19 Taiwan in public health and other sectors; 20 (4) supports, as part of a joint vision for a free 21 and open Indo-Pacific, India’s continued defense 22 modernization, including its diversification away 23 from countries that fail to respect the sovereignty 24 and territorial integrity of other nations; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •SRES 75 RS (5) applauds the Government of India for in- 1 creasing its development efforts in Arunachal 2 Pradesh, including for improving border infrastruc- 3 ture, connectivity, and energy security, including re- 4 newable energy production; 5 (6) commits to deepening United States assist- 6 ance to the region, including through the Depart- 7 ment of State and the United States Agency for 8 International Development using funding mecha- 9 nisms such as the Countering PRC Influence Fund; 10 (7) encourages like-minded international part- 11 ners and donors to likewise bolster their assistance 12 efforts to Arunachal Pradesh; 13 (8) supports further strengthening the United 14 States-India bilateral partnership, including through 15 enhanced defense interoperability and information- 16 sharing especially for early warning systems, the 17 United States-India Initiative on Critical and 18 Emerging Technology, further economic cooperation, 19 and our broad and long-standing people-to-people 20 ties; and 21 (9) promotes enhancing our multilateral co- 22 operation with India through the Quad, the East 23 Asia Summit alongside our partners in the Associa- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •SRES 75 RS tion for Southeast Asian Nations, and other inter- 1 national fora. 2 That the Senate— 3 (1) unequivocally supports the longstanding 4 United States recognition of the state of Arunachal 5 Pradesh as an integral part of the Republic of India 6 and supports the country’s sovereignty and territorial 7 integrity; 8 (2) condemns the People’s Republic of China’s 9 use of military force to change the status quo along 10 the disputed India-China border, as well as addi- 11 tional provocations, including the construction of vil- 12 lages, the expansion of territorial claims in disputed 13 areas, and publication of maps assigning Mandarin- 14 language names to cities and features in the Indian 15 state of Arunachal Pradesh; 16 (3) commends the Government of India for tak- 17 ing steps to defend itself against provocations and se- 18 curity threats from the People’s Republic of China, 19 including through securing its telecommunications in- 20 frastructure, examining its procurement processes and 21 supply chains, implementing investment screening 22 standards, and expanding its cooperation with Tai- 23 wan in public health and other sectors; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •SRES 75 RS (4) supports, as part of a joint vision for a free 1 and open Indo-Pacific, India’s continued defense 2 modernization, including its diversification away 3 from countries that seek to undermine the rules-based 4 international order; 5 (5) commits to deepening United States assist- 6 ance to the region, including through the Department 7 of State and the United States Agency for Inter- 8 national Development using funding mechanisms 9 such as the Countering PRC Influence Fund; 10 (6) encourages like-minded international part- 11 ners to likewise bolster their engagement with the gov- 12 ernment and people of the Indian state of Arunachal 13 Pradesh; and 14 (7) supports further strengthening the United 15 States-India bilat [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]