US will support India against acute forms of gray zone coercion by Chinese

NEW DELHI: The US will support allies like India address acute forms of ‘gray zone coercion’ by China to establish control over disputed land borders, the US National Defence Strategy has stated.

It asserted that the US would advance  major defence partnership with India to enhance its ability to deter the People's Republic of China (PRC) aggression and ensure free and open access to the Indian Ocean Region.

The document was released late on Thursday local time by US defence secretary Llyod J. Austin. Grey zone refers to the situation between peace and war, in which state and non-state actors operate.

The document sets the strategic direction of the US defence department to support US national security priorities, and flows directly from US President Joe Biden's National Security Strategy.

It identified China as the most consequential and systemic challenge to the US. It said that China sought to undermine US alliances and  security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, and leverage its growing capabilities, including its economic influence and the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) growing strength and military footprint, to coerce its neighbors and threaten their interests.

The US National DefenCe Strategy pointed out that China's increasingly provocative rhetoric and coercive activity towards Taiwan are destabilizing, and threaten the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.

"This is part of a broader pattern of destabilizing and coercive People's Republic of China (PRC) behaviour that stretches across the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and along the Line of Actual Control (with India)," it said.

The document said that defence department would reinforce and build a resilient security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region in order to sustain a free and open regional order, and deter attempts to resolve disputes by force.

"The department will advance our major defence partnership with India to enhance its ability to deter PRC aggression and ensure free and open access to the Indian Ocean Region," it said.

It underlined that the US defence department would work with allies and partners to ensure power projection in a contested environment.

"The department will also support ally and partner efforts, in accordance with US policy and international law, to address acute forms of gray zone coercion from the PRC’s campaigns to establish control over the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and disputed land borders such as with India," said US National Defense Strategy.

At the same time, it said that US defence department will continue to prioritize maintaining open lines of communication  with the PLA and managing competition responsibly. "Conflict with the PRC is neither inevitable nor desirable," it added.