China looked suitably rattled after it took exception to secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s remark that the United State would defend India’s sovereignty—a clear reference to the military stand-off in Ladakh.
Beijing said that the “boundary question is a bilateral matter” and there is “no space” for a third party to intervene. It said the development of bilateral ties between countries should not “infringe upon legitimate rights and interests of a third party” and should encourage regional peace, stability and development.
“The boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India. The two sides have been discussing disengagement and de-escalation in the border areas through diplomatic and military channels. China and India have the wisdom and ability to handle their differences properly. There’s no space for a third party to intervene,” said a statement released by the Chinese Embassy.
In New Delhi for 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States, Pompeo had said: “The US will stand with India in its efforts to defend its sovereignty and its liberty…Our nations are committed to working together into expanding our partnerships across many fronts.”
China found US blowing Indo-Pacific strategy as a mean to dominate the region. “The ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’ proposed by the US is to stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs and to stoke geopolitical competition, in a bid to maintain the dominance of the US, organize closed and exclusive ideological cliques,” its statement said.
Beijing termed it typical US “behaviour of engaging in unilateralism and bullying.” It added, “By hyping up the so-called `China threat’, the US is in fact making pretexts for maintaining its global hegemony and containing China’s development.”
Mr Pompeo arrived in India on Monday along with Defence Secretary Mark T Esper for the third edition of the US-India 2+2 dialogue.