US House panel chair slams Chinese ‘aggression’ in border dispute with India

Hindustan Times
June 01, 2020
Niyati Singh

Eliot Engel, chairman of the powerful US House foreign relations committee, on Monday, slammed Chinese “aggression” for continuing tensions along the border with India, adding to growing US support for India in this dispute.
“I am extremely concerned by the ongoing Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control on the India-China border.,” Engel, a Democrat, said in a statement. “China is demonstrating once again that it is willing to bully its neighbours rather than resolve conflicts according to international law.”
He added: “I strongly urge China to respect norms and use diplomacy and existing mechanisms to resolve its border questions with India.”
The chairman of the committee, which has oversight over the state department, is the latest US official to weigh in on India’s side in this border dispute with China.
Alice Wells, the outgoing head of the state department’s South and Central Asia department, had earlier said the border flare-ups were a “reminder that Chinese aggression is not always just rhetorical”.
“Whether it’s in the South China Sea or whether it’s along the border with India, we continue to see provocations and disturbing behaviour by China that raises questions about how China seeks to use its growing power,” she had added.
Also on the India-China dispute, President Donald Trump made an unsolicited offer of mediation which has been turned down by both India and China.
China says no ‘third party’ needed after PM Modi, Trump discuss Ladakh standoff
Donald Trump had tweeted last week that he was willing to mediate between New Delhi and Beijing to resolve the standoff. The offer was rejected by both India and China.

China on Wednesday said there was no need for a “third party” to intervene in the ongoing Sino-India border friction after it emerged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the situation along the LAC in Ladakh with US President Donald Trump during a phone conversation on Tuesday.
Modi and Trump had a “warm and productive” conversation on a range of topics including India’s military standoff with China in Ladakh, New Delhi being invited to the upcoming G7 summit, the ongoing civil unrest in the US and WHO reforms.
The phone conversation between Modi and Trump and China’s statement come came in the backdrop of the ongoing standoff between border troops in eastern Ladakh.
When asked to comment on the specific mention of the India-China border problem, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said both countries had mechanisms to resolve such problems.
“Now the situation (at the border) over there is overall stable and controllable . China and India have a full-fledged border related mechanism and communication channel. We have capability to resolve this issue through dialogue and negotiations. There is no need for intervention of third party,” Zhao said at the regular ministry briefing on Wednesday.
Zhao reiterated China’s position on the long-standing border problem with India.
“China’s position on the border issue is consistent and clear. We have earnestly implemented the important consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries and have strictly abided by the relevant treaty between China and India…” he said.
China, Zhao added, was “…committed to upholding national territorial security and sovereignty and also to upholding peace and stability in the border region”.
China on Friday had similarly rejected Trump’s offer to mediate in the current Sino-India border standoff.
Trump had tweeted last week that he was willing to mediate between New Delhi and Beijing to resolve the standoff.
India too had passed the offer with external affairs ministry spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava saying “…we are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve this issue”.

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