India-China border dispute: New Delhi rejects Donald Trump’s offer to mediate

Sources in New Delhi scotch any suggestion of a cooling in stand-off despite conciliatory language from Beijing

US president reportedly did not know China and India even shared a border until early in his term

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The remote Ladakh region, where Indian and Chinese soldiers are in a bitter stand-off. Photo: AP

Published: 10:51pm, 28 May 2020Updated: 1:01am, 29 May 2020

A day after China appeared to play down its border dispute with India, sources in New Delhi scotched any suggestion of a cooling in the stand-off between the two nuclear-armed neighbours – while the Indian government officially rejected an offer by US President Donald Trump to mediate.

Sources in the Indian establishment ruled out recalling troops from forward positions and said there would be no immediate de-escalation of the conflict, in which troops have been locked in a stand-off for more three weeks in various parts of Ladakh, where India has borders with China and Pakistan.

The hardline stance took shape after Trump tweeted on Wednesday night that he was “ready, willing and able” to mediate what was a “now raging border dispute”.

But in a statement released on Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined the offer, saying it was engaged with China to “peacefully resolve” the situation.

“The two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations which may arise in border areas peacefully through dialogue and continue to remain engaged through these channels,” it said.

The ministry repeated India’s long-standing intention to resolve its disputes bilaterally.