Even as Chinese official media said there was no need for US mediation in the border dispute between India and China, there has been no let-up in tension along the Line of Actual Control as armies on both sides continue to stay put in their respective positions, on Thursday.
There has been four standoff points and they are in Ladakh sector’s Galwan valley and Pangong Tso areas. India was not ready to accept nothing less than status quo on the border and wanted Chinese to retreat to their earlier positions. The Chinese have been asking India to do away with its infrastructure construction plans.
The Chinese foreign minister had signalled de-escalation when he said the situation on the border was “stable and controllable” and the two sides were in touch with each other at different levels. However, there was no change on the ground.
According to Global Times, “a conflicting China-India relationship” serves US interests. “Washington believes the combined strength of Beijing and New Delhi could impair its interests in Asia and beyond. An opportunist US has never given up its attempt to drive a wedge between China and India. The administration of former president Barack Obama repeatedly stated that it saw India as part of its rebalancing strategy aimed at China, and the Trump administration emphasizes India as a major pillar in its much-touted Indo-Pacific concept,” it said.
The Global Times article observed that India might have found that the US is not a reliable partner, as the “America First” policy impedes Modi’s “Make in India” campaign.
Hoping for a positive outcome, the article said China and India “successfully solved their Doklam faceoff with concerted efforts and wisdom”. The two informal summits between the leadership of the two sides, one in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2018 and the other in the Indian city of Chennai in 2019, set the tone to maintain peace and tranquility along the border.
“The latest dispute can be solved bilaterally by China and India. The two countries should keep alert on the US, which exploits every chance to create waves that jeopardize regional peace and order,” stated Global Times.
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