China India Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

A newly published US government report accusing China of “planning the brawl in the Galwan Valley” has become the latest bit of hype from the US to stir up conflict in this region, which observers said is doomed to fail. 

"Some evidence suggests the Chinese government had planned the incident, potentially including the possibility for fatalities,” read the annual report of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) released on Tuesday. 

The USCC also said 2020 was the worst year for Sino-Indian relations in decades.

The report was quickly picked up by various Indian media outlets, including The Times of India and Deccan Herald, which hyped the “Chinese conspiracy” and said that China’s behavior has brought the two countries’ relations to a new low. 

"It is not surprising that the US issued such a distorted report,” Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University told the Global Times. “Against the backdrop of declining China-US relations, the Trump administration is counting on such a report to further exacerbate China's conflict with its neighbors to benefit the US,” Qian said. 

"However, in the eyes of Indian policymakers, they are very cautious about US involvement in the Sino-Indian conflict because they do not want to complicate the conflict between the two countries,” Qian added.

The Galwan Valley clash broke out on June 15 between China and India’s border defense troops after Indian troops crossed the border and launched provocative attacks against Chinese personnel. The Chinese troops lodged a strong protest and solemn representations, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Media reports said the clash led to casualties on both sides. 

A later statement by China’s Foreign Ministry suggested that Indian border troops should bear full responsibility for the clash, as they were the first to illegally cross the Line of Actual Control (LAC). They violated the agreement and made provocations, and breached international norms to launch attacks, the statement said.