Tribune News Service
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, January 15
China has objected to a senior US diplomat commenting on its border dispute with India, saying the Chinese side is “firmly opposed to such acts that a third country points fingers at the bilateral issue between other two countries out of geopolitical consideration”.
The US diplomat Donald Lu had said in an interview that, “We have not seen China take good faith steps to resolve the border issue. In fact, quite the opposite, with aggressive Chinese moves, most recently in India’s north-east.”
“In 2020, when the Galwan Valley clash happened, the US was the first to criticise Chinese aggression and offer support to India. The US will continue to stand with India,” he had added in an interview to NDTV.
Lu, the State Department’s pointsman for South and Central Asia, has courted controversy in Pakistan and Nepal for alleged US interference in their internal affairs. Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan charged him with involvement in regime change in Islamabad last year that saw him losing the Premier’s position.
Refuting Lu’s observations on the China-India border issue, Wang Xiaojian, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy here maintained that the border situation is “overall stable” and the two sides have maintained smooth and constructive communication on boundary-related issues through diplomatic and military channels. The two countries, he claimed, had switched from the phase of emergency response to normalised management and control.
“The boundary question is a matter between China and India. The two sides have the will and capability of resolving the question through dialogue and consultation. We hope the US could do more things that contribute to regional peace and stability,” he added in a statement.
