US officials have passed a defence bill which includes a passage expressing concern about "military aggression" amid China-India tensions as Beijing continues to try and gain military territory.

On New Year’s Day, the US Senate voted to bypass Mr Trump’s veto of the huge National Defense Authorization Act. The Act put in place US military policy and also handles other issues associated with it.

According to reports, it is the first time that Congress has overridden a presidential veto in all the years that Mr Trump has been in power. New agency NPR reports the bill usually passes through the US Government. It calls upon Beijing to resolve all disputes using existing diplomatic mechanisms.

The legislation became law after the Republican-controlled Senate voted 81-13 to pass it, with way more than the two-third votes required to override a presidential veto. The Democratic-led House of Representatives had passed the override last week with a similarly overwhelming support - 322 to 87.

Trump had vetoed the legislation passed earlier by both chambers, but his reasons had nothing to do with the section on Chinese aggression on the border with India.

He had demanded that it should repeal liability protection for social media platforms, drop sections renaming military facilities named after confederate military figures, and thinning US military deployments in certain areas.

The NDAA conveys bicameral and bipartisan support for India in its border standoff with China. Though it is neither a demand nor a threat enforceable with consequences, it is a significant show of support for India.

In Section 1206 titled “Sense of Congress on the aggression of the government of China along the border with India and growing territorial claims” the law says, “Continued military aggression by the government of China along the border with India is a significant concern.”

The “government of China should work with the government of India towards de-escalating the situation along the Line of Actual Control through existing diplomatic mechanisms and refrain from attempting to settle disputes through coercion or force”, it adds, and goes on to point to China’s other aggressive actions in the region.

It says US congress believes that “attempts by the government of China to advance baseless territorial claims, including those in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and with respect to Bhutan, are destabilising and inconsistent with international law”.

Image Source: AFP