China on Friday rejected US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between Sino-India border standoff, saying there was no need for a third party to intervene between China and India.
China’s statement came after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered to “mediate or arbitrate” the raging border dispute between India and China, saying he was “ready, willing and able to mediate” between India and China. However, in response to Trump’s mediation offer, India said on Thursday that it is engaged with the Chinese side to resolve the border issue peacefully.
When asked about his tweet regarding his offer to mediate between India and China, Trump told reporters at his Oval Office on Thursday, “I would do that. If they (China and India) thought it would help.” However, Trump did not clarify when did he speak to Modi.
“We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute,” he added further.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations that may arise in border areas peacefully through dialogue and “continue to remain engaged through these channels.”
Indian and Chinese field commanders have been holding talks on de-escalating the tensions.
China has also struck a conciliatory tone on the border issue with India, saying the two countries pose no threat to each other and should resolve their differences through communication, while not allowing them to overshadow bilateral relations.
“We should never let differences overshadow our relations. We should resolve differences through communication. China and India should be good neighbours of harmonious coexistence and good partners to move forward hand in hand,” said Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, on Wednesday.
The tensions escalated between India and China following a number of confrontations between soldiers of both armies. (ANI)