China an aggressor against India & others: US' Beijing envoy-nominee

Nicholas Burns Acknowledges China’s ‘Strength’, But Says US & Allies Can Manage Its Rise

- Chidanand.Rajghatta @timesgroup.com

Washington: A top American diplomat nominated to be Washington’s ambassador to Beijing described China as an aggressor against India and other Indo-Pacific nations at a confirmation hearing where US lawmakers urged the Biden administration to counter what they called the greatest security threat to the United States and its partners.

“Beijing has been an aggressor against India along their Himalayan border; against Vietnam, the Philippines, and others in the South China Sea; against Japan in the East China Sea; and has launched an intimidation campaign against Australia,” ambassador designate to China Nicholas Burns told the Senate foreign relations committee in unusually blunt terms for a nominated envoy who typically head out on a friendly tone.