III 

Calendar No. 155 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 75 

Reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and 

condemning the People’s Republic of China’s provocations in South Asia. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2023 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

and Mr. KAINE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JULY 25, 2023 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and condemning the People’s Republic of China’s 

provocations in South Asia. 

Whereas, since the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the United 

States has recognized the McMahon Line as the international boundary between the People’s Republic of 

China and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh; 


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•SRES 75 RS 

Whereas the United States recognizes the state of Arunachal 

Pradesh not as disputed territory but as an integral part 

of the Republic of India, and this recognition is not qualified in any way; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own territory, which it 

calls ‘‘South Tibet’’, and has invoked these claims as part 

of its increasingly aggressive and expansionist policies; 

Whereas, in December 2021, the People’s Republic of China’s 

Ministry of Civil Affairs published a detailed map of the 

Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which assigned Mandarin-language names to 15 geographic features, including eight residential settlements, four mountain peaks, 

two rivers, and one mountain pass, as well as the names 

of the administrative regions where each of these are located; 

Whereas, in December 2022, People’s Republic of China and 

Indian troops engaged in a skirmish in Arunachal 

Pradesh along the Line of Actual Control, the biggest 

clash in the Eastern Sector in six years; 

Whereas the People’s Liberation Army engaged in provocative moves in the Western Sector along the Line of Actual Control starting in April 2020, including increasing 

troop deployments, building new infrastructure in contested areas, and harassing Indian patrols, particularly 

around the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, 

and Pangong Lake; 

Whereas these provocations by the People’s Republic of China 

upended then-improving India-China relations and ultimately led to the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, 

which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers; 


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•SRES 75 RS 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has constructed two 

Chinese villages close to the Line of Actual Control near 

Arunachal Pradesh and expanded its territorial claims in 

Bhutanese territory in the Eastern Sector; 

Whereas Arunachal Pradesh contains the Buddhist town of 

Tawang, home to the revered Tawang Monastery and is 

the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang 

Gyatso; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has raised diplomatic 

objections to visits to Arunachal Pradesh by the Dalai 

Lama and other leaders and has refused to grant residents of the Indian state visas for travel to China; 

Whereas the provocations by the People’s Republic of China 

impede poverty alleviation and economic development in 

Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 25 percent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty according to India’s 2021 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, 

leading many international donors to be cautious of providing assistance due to the state’s perceived status as 

disputed territory; 

Whereas the Government of India has increased its funding 

for border infrastructure to improve accessibility in 

Arunachal Pradesh, as well as for village infrastructure, 

housing, tourist centers, road connectivity, and decentralized renewable energy production through India’s Vibrant 

Villages program; 

Whereas the Government of India has taken steps to defend 

itself from aggression and security threats from the People’s Republic of China, including through securing its 

telecommunications infrastructure and conducting investment screening; 


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•SRES 75 RS 

Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to work 

both bilaterally with India through our Comprehensive 

Global Strategic Partnership, as well as multilaterally 

through the Quad with Japan and Australia, and through 

the I2U2 with Israel and the United Arab Emirates; 

Whereas there is significant and continuing progress in the 

U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership, including ambitions for building an advanced and comprehensive defense 

partnership in which the Armed Forces of the United 

States and India coordinate across all domains; and 

Whereas the Government of India is playing a significant 

leadership role on the global stage, including as part of 

its G20 presidency in 2023: Now, therefore, be it 

Whereas, since the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the United States 

has recognized the McMahon Line as the international 

boundary between the People’s Republic of China and the 

Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh; 

Whereas the United States recognizes the state of Arunachal 

Pradesh not as disputed territory but as an integral part 

of the Republic of India, and this recognition is not qualified in any way; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

claims large portions of Arunachal Pradesh as its own territory, which it calls ‘‘South Tibet’’, and has invoked these 

claims as part of its increasingly aggressive and expansionist policies; 

Whereas, in December 2021, the People’s Republic of China’s 

Ministry of Civil Affairs published a detailed map of the 

Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which assigned Mandarin-language names to 15 geographic features, including 

eight residential settlements, four mountain peaks, two rivVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75

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•SRES 75 RS 

ers, and one mountain pass, as well as the names of the 

administrative regions where each of these are located; 

Whereas, in December 2022, People’s Republic of China and 

Indian troops engaged in a skirmish in Arunachal 

Pradesh along the McMahon Line, the most significant 

clash in the Eastern Sector of the disputed India-China 

border in six years; 

Whereas the People’s Liberation Army disregarded established 

protocols and engaged in provocative moves in the Western 

Sector of the disputed India-China border starting in 

April 2020, including increasing troop deployments, building new infrastructure in contested areas, and harassing 

Indian patrols, particularly around the Depsang Plains, 

Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Pangong Lake; 

Whereas these provocations by the People’s Republic of China 

upended India-China relations and ultimately led to the 

Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which resulted in the 

death of 20 Indian soldiers; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has constructed two 

villages close to the McMahon Line near Arunachal 

Pradesh and expanded its territorial claims in Bhutanese 

territory in the Eastern Sector of the disputed IndiaChina border; 

Whereas Arunachal Pradesh contains the Buddhist town of 

Tawang, home to the revered Tawang Monastery and is 

the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has raised diplomatic 

objections to visits to Arunachal Pradesh by the Dalai 

Lama and other leaders and has refused to grant residents 

of the Indian state visas for travel to China; 


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•SRES 75 RS 

Whereas the provocations by the People’s Republic of China 

impede poverty alleviation and economic development in 

Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 25 percent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty according to India’s 2021 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, leading many international donors to be cautious of providing 

assistance due to the state’s misperceived status as disputed territory; 

Whereas the Government of India has increased its funding for 

border infrastructure to improve accessibility in 

Arunachal Pradesh, as well as for village infrastructure, 

housing, tourist centers, road connectivity, and decentralized clean energy production through India’s Vibrant Villages program; 

Whereas the Government of India has taken steps to defend 

itself from provocations and security threats from the People’s Republic of China, including through securing its 

telecommunications infrastructure and conducting investment screening; 

Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to work both 

bilaterally with India through our Comprehensive Global 

Strategic Partnership, as well as multilaterally through 

the Quad with Japan and Australia, and through the 

I2U2 with Israel and the United Arab Emirates; and 

Whereas there is significant and continuing progress in the 

U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership, including ambitions for building an advanced and comprehensive defense 

partnership in which the Armed Forces of the United 

States and India coordinate across all domains: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 75 RS 

1 (1) unequivocally recognizes the state of 

2 Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of the Repub3 lic of India and supports the country’s sovereignty 

4 and territorial integrity; 

5 (2) condemns the People’s Republic of China’s 

6 use of military force to change the status quo along 

7 the Line of Actual Control, as well as additional 

8 provocations including the construction of villages in 

9 contested areas, expansion of territorial claims in 

10 Bhutan, and publication of maps assigning Man11 darin-language names to cities and features in the 

12 Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh; 

13 (3) commends the Government of India for tak14 ing steps to defend itself against aggression and se15 curity threats from the People’s Republic of China, 

16 including through securing its telecommunications 

17 infrastructure, examining its procurement processes 

18 and supply chains, implementing investment screen19 ing standards, and expanding its cooperation with 

20 Taiwan in public health and other sectors; 

21 (4) supports, as part of a joint vision for a free 

22 and open Indo-Pacific, India’s continued defense 

23 modernization, including its diversification away 

24 from countries that fail to respect the sovereignty 

25 and territorial integrity of other nations; 


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•SRES 75 RS 

1 (5) applauds the Government of India for in2 creasing its development efforts in Arunachal 

3 Pradesh, including for improving border infrastruc4 ture, connectivity, and energy security, including re5 newable energy production; 

6 (6) commits to deepening United States assist7 ance to the region, including through the Depart8 ment of State and the United States Agency for 

9 International Development using funding mecha10 nisms such as the Countering PRC Influence Fund; 

11 (7) encourages like-minded international part12 ners and donors to likewise bolster their assistance 

13 efforts to Arunachal Pradesh; 

14 (8) supports further strengthening the United 

15 States-India bilateral partnership, including through 

16 enhanced defense interoperability and information17 sharing especially for early warning systems, the 

18 United States-India Initiative on Critical and 

19 Emerging Technology, further economic cooperation, 

20 and our broad and long-standing people-to-people 

21 ties; and 

22 (9) promotes enhancing our multilateral co23 operation with India through the Quad, the East 

24 Asia Summit alongside our partners in the AssociaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:18 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR75.RS SR75

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•SRES 75 RS 

1 tion for Southeast Asian Nations, and other inter2 national fora. 

3 That the Senate— 

4 (1) unequivocally supports the longstanding 

5 United States recognition of the state of Arunachal 

6 Pradesh as an integral part of the Republic of India 

7 and supports the country’s sovereignty and territorial 

8 integrity; 

9 (2) condemns the People’s Republic of China’s 

10 use of military force to change the status quo along 

11 the disputed India-China border, as well as addi12 tional provocations, including the construction of vil13 lages, the expansion of territorial claims in disputed 

14 areas, and publication of maps assigning Mandarin15 language names to cities and features in the Indian 

16 state of Arunachal Pradesh; 

17 (3) commends the Government of India for tak18 ing steps to defend itself against provocations and se19 curity threats from the People’s Republic of China, 

20 including through securing its telecommunications in21 frastructure, examining its procurement processes and 

22 supply chains, implementing investment screening 

23 standards, and expanding its cooperation with Tai24 wan in public health and other sectors; 


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•SRES 75 RS 

1 (4) supports, as part of a joint vision for a free 

2 and open Indo-Pacific, India’s continued defense 

3 modernization, including its diversification away 

4 from countries that seek to undermine the rules-based 

5 international order; 

6 (5) commits to deepening United States assist7 ance to the region, including through the Department 

8 of State and the United States Agency for Inter9 national Development using funding mechanisms 

10 such as the Countering PRC Influence Fund; 

11 (6) encourages like-minded international part12 ners to likewise bolster their engagement with the gov13 ernment and people of the Indian state of Arunachal 

14 Pradesh; and 

15 (7) supports further strengthening the United 

16 States-India bilateral partnership, including through 

17 enhanced defense interoperability and information18 sharing especially for early warning systems, the 

19 United States-India Initiative on Critical and 

20 Emerging Technology, further economic cooperation, 

21 and our broad and long-standing people-to-people 

22 ties. 


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Calendar No. 155 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 75 

RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Inpublic of China’s provocations in South Asia. dian territory and condemning the People’s ReJULY 25, 2023 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 


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