Amid a border standoff between India and China, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that US is “ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate” the border dispute between the two countries.
In a tweet, Trump said US has informed both India and China of its offer.
This comes a few months after the US President said he was ready to mediate between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir issue if both sides agreed. During his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in September last year, Trump had said “if both (Pakistan and India) want, I am ready to do it”.
Trump’s remarks in July last year that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to mediate the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan had created an uproar in India, with the opposition demanding a clarification from the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected Trump’s claim that Modi asked for a mediation on Kashmir, saying “it has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally”.
Trump’s tweet on Monday came amid rising tensions between New Delhi and Beijing at the Line of Actual Control.
China has said the situation in the border areas is “stable and controllable”.
“China is committed to safeguarding the security of its national territorial sovereignty, as well as safeguarding peace and stability in the China-India border areas,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s office said in a statement, according to Reuters.
“At present, the overall situation in the border areas is stable and controllable. There are sound mechanisms and channels of communication for border-related affairs, and the two sides are capable of properly resolving relevant issues through dialogue and consultation.”
India’s external affairs ministry said last week that Chinese military was hindering regular Indian patrols along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim.
(With PTI and Reuters inputs)