US offers to mediate in India-China frontier showdown

WASHINGTON, May 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump
offered to mediate in what he called a “raging” border showdown between India and China in the Himalayas.

Trump’s offer came after Indian defence sources said hundreds of
Chinese troops had moved into a disputed zone along their 3,500
kilometre-long frontier.

Two weeks ago several Indian and Chinese troops were hurt during
fistfights and stone-throwing in another sector. There has been no
violence reported since, however.

While blaming each other for the flare-up, the world’s two most
populous countries have stressed the need to negotiate a settlement to
the latest dispute along their tortuous border.

Trump, who has sought closer ties with India in recent years while
also being involved in a tense trade showdown with China, made his
offer in a Twitter statement.

“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. Thank you!” he said.

Last year Trump offered to mediate between India and Pakistan over
their Kashmir dispute, but it was tersely rejected by India.

Alice Wells, the the top US State Department official for South
Asia, said last week that China was seeking to upset the regional
balance and had to be “resisted”.

India and China fought a war over India’s northeastern state of
Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. China still claims some 90,000 square
kilometres of territory under New Delhi’s control.

While no shot has been fired across their border for more than four
decades, there have been numerous face-offs. In 2017 there was a
72-day showdown after Chinese forces moved into the disputed Doklam
plateau on the China-India-Bhutan border.

Punches and stones were thrown this month at Naku La in India’s
Sikkim state, which borders Bhutan, Nepal and China, before “dialogue
and interaction” calmed tempers.

The focus has since moved to India’s Ladakh region across the
border from Tibet. Indian defence sources say Chinese forces have
moved into Indian territory at four points.

The sources said hundreds of Chinese troops and vehicles have taken
over the Indian side of the Galwan valley, one of the four disputed
sites.

Diplomatic and military observers said both sides seemed to be
digging in for another long face-off.

Their rival foreign ministries have denied any fault but called for
established negotiating channels to be used.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi
Jinping have sought to ease the tensions at summits over the past two
years when they agreed to boost border communications between their
militaries. — NNN-AGENCIES