New Delhi: India said Wednesday it was engaged with China to resolve the border issue in a carefully crafted reaction. However, it is being seen as rebuffing US President Donald Trump’s offer. The president had offered to arbitrate between the two Asian giants in resolving their decades-old border issue.
Searching for peaceful solution
“We are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve it,” External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Thursday. He was replying to a volley of questions at an online media briefing.
The MEA spokesperson did not reply to questions like whether the US had approached India with the offer. He was also asked whether New Delhi has communicated its response over it to Washington. Reporters wanted to know whether the Trump administration has been briefed about the current situation at the Ladakh border. India and Chinese soldiers are engaged in a stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
Trump’s offer
Trump said Wednesday he was ‘ready, willing and able to mediate’ between the two countries. “We have informed India and China that the United States is ready to arbitrate their now raging border dispute. We are willing to mediate,” Trump said in a tweet Wednesday.
Trump previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, a proposal which was rejected by New Delhi.
Maintaining peace in border areas
Srivastava was asked about the current situation in eastern Ladakh. He said India is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas. “Both the Chinese and Indian Armed Forces scrupulously follow the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries,” said Srivastava. “At the same time, we remain firm in our resolve to ensuring India’s sovereignty and national security,” he added.
‘Responsible’ troops
The MEA spokesperson said the Indian troops take a very responsible approach towards border management. They strictly follow the procedures laid out in various bilateral agreements. Protocols are followed with China to resolve any issue that may arise in the border areas.
“The two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations peacefully through dialogue,” Srivastava said.
Trump’s unexpected offer came on a day when China took an apparently conciliatory tone. It said that the situation at the border with India is ‘overall stable and controllable’.
Violent face-off
The situation in eastern Ladakh had deteriorated recently. Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5. It spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to ‘disengage’. The decision to engage came after a meeting at the level of local commanders. Over 100 Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in the violence.
The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim May 9. It is learnt that both India and China are looking at a solution to the issue through talks.
PTI