Situation along LAC stable, no role for US: China
China on Wednesday said its border standoff with India in eastern Ladakh is a bilateral issue, and asked the US to "stop" its Indo-Pacific strategy, terming it as an attempt to impose American hegemony in the region.
FollowNew Delhi: A day after the third Indo-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue, China described the LAC situation Wednesday as "generally stable" at the moment while asserting that the boundary issue is between India and China only.
"The boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India. The two sides have been discussing disengagement and de-escalation in the border areas through diplomatic and military channels. There's no space for a third party to intervene," a statement from the Chinese embassy read.
The Chinese foreign ministry said that both had unimpeded channels for communication and were properly handling matters through consultation and negotiation.
This was even as China launched a scathing attack on the US for, as it claimed, sowing discord between regional countries and undercutting regional peace and stability.
Like the foreign ministry, the Chinese embassy here too was careful not to attack India even as it asked the US to abandon its "Cold War and zero-sum mentality". In a late night statement, hours after the departure of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, the embassy said China and India had the wisdom and ability to handle their differences properly.
"The boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India. The two sides have been discussing disengagement and de-escalation in the border areas through diplomatic and military channels. There's no space for a third party to intervene," said the embassy statement.
"The 'Indo-Pacific strategy' proposed by the US is to stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs and to stoke geopolitical competition, in a bid to maintain the dominance of the US, organise closed and exclusive ideological cliques," the statement also read.
In a blunt criticism of China, Pompeo cited the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in a clash with the Chinese military and said the US stands firmly with India in confronting threats to its sovereignty.
The Chinese military has been flexing its muscles in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region and is also engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
Early this month, India, the US, Japan and Australia agreed to step up coordination in creating a free and open Indo-Pacific.
