China Calls US a Bully After BECA Satellite Data Pact With India

China has called out senior U.S. government officials of attacking it with lies to contain its development after Washington signed BECA satellite data sharing pact with India during a 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Tuesday.

Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is aimed at countering China’s growing power in the region. It will give India the ability to keep a close watch on the movements of Chinese army and warships in the Indian Ocean.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh joined Esper for the so-called "two-plus-two" meeting in New Delhi.

Esper called signing of the BECA important as it is the last of the foundational defense agreements between the two countries. "This enables greater geospatial information sharing between our two armed forces," he said.

"Based on our shared values and common interests, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific for all, particularly in light of increased aggression and destabilizing activities by China," the secretary said.

China has rejected U.S. government officials’ statements during their visit to India, or what it calls “China-related false allegations.”

“The U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and other senior official repeated old lies, attacked and made allegations against China, violated the norms of international relations and basic principles of diplomacy, instigated China's relations with other countries in the region, which once again exposed their Cold War mentality and ideological bias. The Chinese side expresses its firm opposition to it,” the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in India said in a statement.

China resolutely opposes behaviour of engaging in unilateralism and bullying. By hyping up the so-called ‘China threat,’ the U.S. is in fact making pretexts for maintaining its global hegemony and containing China's development, the Embassy added.