As Indian and Chinese Army commanders held the fourth rounds of talks to take the disengagement process forward, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that President Trump wants to explore options to ensure peace for the people of the two countries.
“He (Trump) said I love the people of India and I love the people of China and I want to do everything possible to keep the peace for the people,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a press conference in Washington.
On May 28, President Trump made an explicit offer of mediation in the India-China conflict, which was snubbed by the Indian side and explicitly rejected by Chinese and subsequently not pursued by the US. On June 17, following the violent clashes which led to 20 Indian soldiers being martyred, President Trump extended his condolences and affirmed that he was “monitoring” the situation closely but stressed that US had no formal plans on mediating between them. On June 21, in a seemingly contradictory statement, he said that India and China were dealing with a “big problem” and the United States will try to “help them out” and added that he is “talking” to them.
As tensions escalated, White House administration became more vocal in their support for India. McEnay endorsed a more aggressive stance against China on July 2, where the US saw China’s “aggressive stance” along the India-China border was seen as confirming the “true nature of Chinese Communist Party.” Following India’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo applauded this decision and said it would ‘boost India’s security.” More recently on July 15, Mr Pompeo said that India has been a great and important partner for the US and that he spoke with Indian counterpart External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on “the risk that emanates from the Chinese telecommunication infrastructure.”
US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told reporters that China has been very aggressive with India and that President Modi and President Trump have a “super relationship.”
India has made it clear that it does not want any third-party mediation, as it did regarding previous offers by Mr Trump to mediate in India-China dispute. It’s not just the US which is supporting India – expressions of solidarity have been pouring in for India from around the world, including countries like France, Japan, Australia and the UK.
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