"Chinese Communist Party continues to be aggressive all-around"

NEW DELHI: US Congressman Michael Waltz has said that it is the Chinese Communist Party and not its people who continue to remain aggressive all around and that the countries of the QUAD need to work together to deter Chinese aggression.

Waltz, the Republican co-chair of the House India Caucus delegation during his India visit, calls the ongoing Malabar Exercise ‘incredibly important’ and stresses that China should know that the group is standing together as democracies for a free and open Indo-Pacific .

“It's incredibly important. It's one thing to make the equipment together but it's even more important to operate it. The radios, technology, aircraft, ships, tanks and planes. All of those things, how you operate it. Understanding the interoperability, understanding planning, and tactics of the operation when both sides come together is about what these exercises are about”, said Waltz while speaking to ANI.

“As China is increasingly aggressive unfortunately, it's really the Chinese Communist Party, not its people but the government that is continuing to be aggressive in the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, its relationships with countries like Pakistan and India's border, we're seeing aggression all around. So, we need to work together in every aspect, I think to deter that type of aggression and have the Chinese Communist Party know that we are standing together as democracies for a free and open Indo-Pacific”, he added.

While speaking to ANI, he also addressed the Khalistan attacks on the Indian High Commission.

"I have condemned them with my colleague Ro Khanna. We have condemned those attacks. Any type of violence is unacceptable and is certainly unacceptable on American soil," Waltz said.

Speaking further on the Defence ties, the Congressman hailed Prime Minister’s Modi recent visit to the United States and called the defence deals ‘strong’.

“There were some very strong deals-the GE engine deal, Predator or MQ-9 drones called Sea Guardian. I believe India is the only country outside NATO that we have sold those drones to. And other types of cooperation will help India to defend itself and to be a key partner in Indo-Pacific," said Waltz.

Speaking about the High-Level engagements between the two countries, Waltz also revealed that US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be in India in October.

“PM Modi addressed the US Congress for the second time, I believe only the fifth leader in history to do that. Then you have President Biden coming here (India) for G20 and also the Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy will be coming in October. These are some high-level meaningful engagements. That speaks to how strong their relationship is becoming," said Waltz.

Michael Waltz is on his India visit. On Prime Minister Modi’s address on Independence Day, the Congressman said that it was his honour to be there at the Red Fort and to hear him laying out a vision for India to be a fully developed nation by 2047.

“It was an honour to be at Red Fort where former PM Pandit Nehru famously raised the Tri-Colour. On Indian Independence Day, to stand in front of the Red Fort and see PM Modi address the nation was an honour. It was incredible to hear him lay out a vision for India to be a fully developed nation by 2047," he added.

Khanna and Michael Waltz, who are co-chairs of the House India caucus attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address from Red Fort on Independence Day on Tuesday.

Khanna and Waltz co-chair the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. The caucus is a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers committed to strengthening the relationship between the United States and India.

On their India visit, Congressmen Khanna and Waltz are joined by Reps Deborah Ross (NC-D), Kat Cammack (FL-R), Shri Thanedar (MI-D), and Jasmine Crockett (TX-D) as well as fellow Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans members Reps. Rich McCormick (GA-R) and Ed Case (HI-D).