Amid the ongoing tensions between the India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the President of United States of America Donald Trump on Saturday offered to mediate by saying, the situation has been “very nasty” and “they (China) are certainly going at it.”
While speaking to the reporters at the White House, US President said, “While we’re at it, we’re talking about China and India, (they) are going at it pretty good on the border, as you know. It has been very nasty. We stand ready to help, with respect to China and India.”
“If we can do anything, we would love to get involved and help. And we are talking to both countries about that,” he said.
Last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised the Chinese Army for “escalating” the border tension with India and described the ruling Chinese Communist Party as a “rogue actor.”
He said that he had a very frank discussion with his Chinese counterpart Wang Jiechi about the “unprovoked aggression” by Beijing on a number of fronts.
Yesterday, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Chinese counterpart in Moscow on the sidelines of the SCO summit. It was the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries after the escalated tensions at the LAC.
During the talks, Rajnath Singh said that peace and security in the region demanded a climate of trust, non-aggression, peaceful resolution of differences and respect for international rules.
The Indian and Chinese foreign ministers will also be in Moscow in next few days as S Jaishankar will be heading to Moscow for a meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers on September 9.
S Jaishankar also participated in a meeting of the G-20 Foreign Ministers on Thursday and will be meeting his BRICS counterparts via videoconferencing on Friday.
In a separate development, yesterday, the Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane had said that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is slightly tense and the morale of jawans is high and they are ready to face any challenge.
His remarks come amid the ongoing tensions at the LAC in Ladakh at the south bank of Pangong Lake.
“I took a review of the situation after reaching Leh yesterday (Thursday). The morale of (the) jawans is high. They are ready to face any challenge. I can say, without a shadow of doubt, that our soldiers are the best. They will make not just the army but the entire country proud,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
“The situation along the LAC is tense. However, we are constantly deliberating. We have taken some measures such as precautionary deployment,” he added.
The stand-off between the two Asian superpowers escalated in the eastern Ladakh region in April-May and peaked on June 15 when 20 Indian soldiers were martyred at the Galwan Valley.
In retaliation, around 40 PLA soldiers were also killed, but China maintained not to disclose the number.
Talks paced up after the stand-off resulting in agreement to disengage from the LAC, but the withdrawal is still not complete.