US sides with India over Arunachal dispute with China — what this means geopolitically

In September last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised concerns about the oil prices following a meeting with US State Secretary Antony Blinken in Washington and said: "The price of oil is breaking our back". He also called for "softening" up of stressed energy markets.

"There is very deep concern among developing countries about how their energy needs are addressed and energy markets under stress must soften up," Jaishankar was quoted by ANI as saying in a press conference.

While the US has imposed sanction on Russia over the Ukraine war, it recently said it won't sanction India for buying the oil from Russia at discounted price.

The resolution introduced by Oregon’s US Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Thursday condemned China's aggression and commended India for taking steps to defend itself against security threats from Xi-Jinping-led nation.

A press release by Merkley said on Thursday: "The Senators’ resolution condemns additional PRC (People's Republic of China) provocations, including...construction of villages in contested areas, publication of maps with Mandarin-language names for cities and feature in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, and expansion of PRC territorial claims in Bhutan.

It reaffirmed that the US recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The line that was agreed to by Britain and Tibet as part of the 1914 Simla Accord is named after Sir Henry McMahon, foreign secretary of the British-run Government of India and the chief negotiator of settling disputes with China.

Praising the Indian government for the position it has taken against China's actions, the release says: "These efforts include securing India's telecommunications infrastructure; examining its procurement processes and supply chains; implementing investment screening standards; and expanding its cooperation with Taiwan in public health and other sectors."

It "commits the US to deepening support and assistance to the region (Arunachal), alongside like-minded international partners and donors". The resolution also serves to strengthen the US-India bilateral partnership regarding defense, technology, economics, and people-to-people ties.

Merkley said that he teamed up with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to introduce the bipartisan Senate resolution on Thursday. Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the India Caucus, co-sponsored the resolution, PTI reported.

The US Senate resolution came months after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed reports of a clash between Indian and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops near Twang region in Arunachal Pradesh.

On December 9, the Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a clash in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector, in the first such flare-up after the deadly hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.