Boundary issue with India is bilateral, no space for third party intervention

China lashes out at Pompeo:

BY S VENKAT NARAYAN

Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, October 28:

China said today “the boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India,” and “there is no space for a third party to intervene.” It has accused United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of “repeating old lies” and “violating the norms of international relations” for his comments in New Delhi.

The Chinese Embassy here issued a strong statement in response to Pompeo’s remarks at Tuesday’s Indo-US 2+2 dialogue, which he attended along with Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Pompeo said the U.S. “will stand with the people of India as they face threats to their sovereignty and their liberty.” He also hit out at the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying it was “no friend to democracy, the rule of law, transparency, nor to freedom of navigation, the foundation of a free and open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

The Chinese Embassy statement accused the U.S. of looking to “stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs and to stoke geopolitical competition.”

“China has been advocating that the development of bilateral relations between countries should be conducive to regional peace, stability and development, and not infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of a third party,” the statement said.

“The boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India. The two sides have been discussing disengagement and de-escalation in the border areas through diplomatic and military channels. China and India have the wisdom and ability to handle their differences properly. There’s no space for a third party to intervene.”

India and the US discussed the situation in Ladakh at the dialogue, with the eighth round of Sino-Indian Corps Commander-level talks expected to take place soon. There has been little progress towards disengagement and a return to the status quo.

China has mobilised 50,000 of its troops, and transgressed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh in early May. This has forced India to mobile an equal number of its troops with matching weaponry.

On Pompeo’s remarks on the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese Embassy statement said he “repeated old lies, attacked and made allegations against China, violated the norms of international relations and basic principles of diplomacy, instigated China’s relations with other countries in the region, which once again exposed their Cold War mentality and ideological bias.” China “expresses its firm opposition to it,” the statement declared.

The statement also hit out at the US government for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and accused it of “trying to shift the blame”.

“The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a choice of history and the people,” the statement said. “This year, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have achieved strategic victory in fighting the virus. According to surveys conducted by international authoritative institutions, the Chinese people’s satisfaction and trust toward the CPC-led Chinese government exceed 90%. Anyone who turns a blind eye to the fact that the CPC is endorsed and supported by the Chinese people or wantonly slanders the CPC is openly standing on the opposite side of the Chinese people.”

“The US side once again tries to shift the blame onto China on COVID-19, which is indeed distorting facts to mislead the public,” it added. “What China has done and achieved in our fight against the virus are open for all to see. We hope US politicians could focus on their own epidemic response and saving lives instead of shifting blame on others.