Trump offers to mediate between India and China

Web desk 28/05/2020
US President Donald Trump has offered to mediate on the border standoff between India and China, saying he was “ready, willing and able to mediate” between the two Asian neighbours, a statement that could irk Beijing more than New Delhi.
The offer came shortly after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press conference in Beijing that the situation on the China-India border was “generally stable and controllable.” The sides were communicating through both their front-line military units and their respective embassies to “properly resolve relevant issues through dialogue and consultation,” Zhao said.
China is committed to abiding by agreements signed by the sides and to “maintaining peace and stability in the border area between China and India”, he said.
China’s ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, made a pitch for putting ties back on an even keel. Without referring to the border standoff, Sun told a webinar that the two sides “pose no threat to each other” and should “never let the differences shadow the overall… bilateral cooperation”. At the same time, he added, they should seek “understanding through communication and constantly resolve differences”.
India has already made it clear that it won’t allow any unilateral alteration of the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as it works towards a peaceful resolution of the worst stand-off since the 73-day face-off between border troops at Doklam in 2017.