Taking a tough stand against China, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged world leaders to come forward to stop bullying by Beijing.

The US on Wednesday attacked China for taking “incredibly aggressive action” in a clash with India on the Line of Actual Control.

“Chinese took incredibly aggressive action. The Indians have done their best to respond to that,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a news conference in Washington DC on Wednesday, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

He added, “I would put this in the context of General-Secretary Xi Jinping and his behaviour throughout the region, and indeed, throughout the world.”

He said China has a pattern of instigating territorial disputes.

“From the mountain ranges of the Himalayas to the waters of Vietnam's Exclusive Zone, to the Senkaku Islands, and beyond, Beijing has a pattern of instigating territorial disputes. The world shouldn't allow this bullying to take place, nor should it permit it to continue,” Pompeo said.

His comments reflect the deep-running tensions between Washington and Beijing, which have been at loggerheads over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, China's actions in the former British colony of Hong Kong and a nearly two-year trade dispute between the US and China.

The Chinese military on Monday was seen dismantling tents and structures at a site in the Galwan valley near where the latest clash took place, said the Indian government sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.