BEIJING: China said on Wednesday that its border clash with India in eastern Ladakh is a bilateral problem, and asked the United States to “stop” its Indo-Pacific strategy, calling it an attempt to impose US hegemony in the region.
The statements by China’s Foreign Ministry came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured India that the United States stands firmly by its side in addressing threats to its sovereignty.
Pompeo’s remarks came after the third edition of the Indo-American dialogue in New Delhi during which the two sides deliberated prominently on the China-India border row and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Reacting to the US push to strengthen defense ties with India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference here on Wednesday that “China-India border issues are issues between the two countries. ”
“Now the situation on the other side of the border is generally stable and the two sides are resolving relevant issues through consultations and negotiations,” he said, in apparent reference to talks at the military and diplomatic level between India and China to resolve the confrontation. .
In a blunt criticism of China, Pompeo cited the killing of 20 members of the Indian military in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh in a clash with the Chinese military and said the United States strongly supports India in confronting threats to its sovereignty. .
“Our leaders and our citizens see more clearly that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is not a friend of democracy, the transparency of the rule of law … I am pleased to say that the United States and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against all kinds of threats and not just those posed by the Chinese Communist Party, “Pompeo said.
Wang harshly criticized the US Indo-Pacific concept, saying that “the US-proposed Indo-Pacific strategy is preaching an outdated Cold War mentality and preaching confrontation and geopolitical gameplay. Its goal It is maintaining US hegemony in the common interest of the region and we urge the United States to stop this. ”
“Meanwhile, any concept of regional development must be in line with the trend of the times for peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.
The Chinese military has been showing its muscles in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region, and is also involved in highly controversial territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
Earlier this month, India, the US, Japan and Australia agreed to step up coordination to create a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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