Is the US Nervous About Growing India-China Ties? Pentagon Report Sounds Alarm 

Key Points:

• A new Pentagon report suggests China is actively seeking to stabilize relations with India to prevent the deepening of New Delhi’s strategic partnership with Washington.

• Following the October 2024 patrolling agreement, India and China have moved toward incremental normalization, including the resumption of direct flights and high-level diplomatic dialogues in 2025.

• While the U.S. remains a primary defense partner, India’s pragmatic engagement with Beijing highlights its commitment to a multipolar order and strategic independence.

For years, the freezing heights of the Himalayas served as the ultimate catalyst for an unprecedented warmth between Washington and New Delhi. 

The brutal 2020 skirmish at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) fundamentally altered India’s strategic calculus, pushing it closer to the United States and the Quad alliance. 

However, a new assessment from the Pentagon suggests that this very pillar of cooperation—shared anxiety over Chinese aggression—is now being targeted by Beijing’s “smile diplomacy.”

In its latest annual report to Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) highlights a calculated shift in China’s regional strategy. 

The report notes that China “probably seeks to capitalize on decreased tension along the LAC to stabilize bilateral relations and prevent the deepening of U.S.-India strategic ties.” 

The assessment arrives just as India and China have begun verifying troop withdrawals at critical friction points like Depsang and Demchok, following a landmark patrolling agreement reached in late 2024.

The “Nervousness” Factor

The question currently rippling through D.C. think tanks is whether the U.S. is becoming nervous about this thaw. Historically, the U.S. has viewed India as the ultimate counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific.

A permanent “hot” border between the two Asian giants naturally anchored India within the U.S. orbit. If the border stabilizes, does the glue holding U.S.-India strategic ties together begin to lose its grip?

Officially, the U.S. State Department maintains a supportive stance. “We welcome any reduction in tensions along the border,” stated State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a briefing reported by The Hindu.

However, he pointedly added that the U.S. “did not play any role in this resolution,” underscoring India’s insistence on strategic autonomy and bilateral negotiation.

Beijing’s Strategic Play

According to the Pentagon’s 2025 Annual Report to Congress , Beijing views the growing closeness between Washington and New Delhi as a direct threat to its “community of common destiny.”

By cooling the LAC, China hopes to convince New Delhi that it does not need to trade its independence for American protection.

Chinese officials have even warned their U.S. counterparts not to interfere in the Sino-Indian relationship, signaling that Beijing sees the border issue as a lever to pry India away from Western influence. 

For China, a neutral India is a victory; for the U.S., it is a complication in the broader effort to maintain U.S.-India strategic ties as a bedrock of Indo-Pacific security.

A Multialigned Future?

Experts at the Stimson Center argue that India’s recent moves are not a “tilt” toward China, but rather an exercise in “strategic autonomy.” 

A stabilized border allows India to refocus its resources on maritime security and economic growth, which includes managing its massive $118 billion trade relationship with China.

The U.S. may not be “nervous” in the traditional sense, but there is a clear realization that the “China threat” can no longer be the sole driver of the partnership. 

To sustain the momentum of the U.S.-India strategic ties, the relationship must transition from a reactive defense pact to a proactive technological and economic alliance.

As the disengagement process continues “smoothly,” as described by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Pentagon will likely remain vigilant. The challenge for Washington now is to remain an indispensable partner for India, even if the Himalayan front goes qu