Standoff With India Bilateral Issue, US Should Stop Indo-Pacific Strategy: China

Beijing: China asserted on Wednesday that its border standoff with India in eastern Ladakh is a bilateral issue and advised the US to “stop” its Indo-Pacific strategy.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response comes in the wake of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s assurance that the US stands firmly with India in confronting threats to its sovereignty.

“The border affairs between China and India are matters between the two countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was quoted as saying by PTI.

“Now the situation across the border is generally stable and the two sides are in resolving relevant issues through consultations and negotiations,” he added.

China interpreted US’ Indo-Pacific strategy as an attempt to impose American ‘hegemony. “The Indo-Pacific strategy proposed by the US is preaching outdated Cold War mentality and preaching confrontation and geopolitical game. It is aimed to uphold the hegemony of the US. This runs counter to the common interest for the region and we urge the US to stop this,” Wenbin stated.

“In the meantime, any concept for regional development should be in line with the trend of the times for the peaceful development and win-win cooperation,” he further remarked.