China has no business objecting to US-India military exercise “Yudh Abhyas” near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Uttrakhand, the senior-most American diplomat in India said on Friday.

Ambassador Elizabeth Jones, Charge d’Affaires in the Embassy of the United States, said military exercises by India and the US are none of China’s business and Washington will continue to support New Delhi’s efforts to develop its capabilities to face regional challenges.

She said, “I think I would point it to the kind of statement that we heard from our Indian colleagues to the effect that it is none of their business.”

On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry opposed the “Yudh Abhyas” exercise at Auli in Uttarakhand, claiming that it violates border agreements signed by China and India in 1993 and 1996.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a weekly media briefing on Thursday, “Military exercise in Auli has got nothing to do with the 1993 and 1996 agreements.” He also said, “India exercises with whomsoever it chooses to and it does not give a veto to third countries on this issue.”

The US diplomat also said India and the United States have been holding “frank discussions” on “social challenges” for a “long time”.

“India-US relation permits us to have frank discussions regarding social challenges. In the United States, treatment of ethnic, racial, and religious minorities attracts a lot of attention-just as it does here.

We can learn from each other, I believe, about how to promote tolerant behaviour among diverse communities because we have similar experiences and similar challenges in those social areas.” she said.

Expressing concern over the so-called communal hate speeches during the India election campaign, the US on Friday said “it will continue to raise” the issue.

“We talk of this (with India) perpetually. We discuss both easy and difficult issues. We have been discussing this for a long time and will continue to do so.”

The US diplomat said, “This is a conversation we have perpetually with our Indian colleagues,” adding “That’s one of the benefits of this consequential relationship, that we can discuss a great variety of issues - easy issues, difficult issues; issues on which we agree, issues on which we don’t.”

On the issue of delay in issuing visas to Indians, she said the US Government has issued 82,000 student visas to Indian nationals during the summer of 2022 and that the US Government is currently recruiting many consular officials out of which several will be posted to India.