A day after the US assured India of its support in “defending its sovereignty,” in a sharp reaction on Wednesday China said the border standoff in Ladakh was a bilateral matter and there was no “space” for a third party. Beijing also said situation at the LAC is generally stable.

These remarks by the Chinese Foreign Ministry were in response to the USA Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement that the US stands firmly with India to confront threats to its sovereignty. He made these observations in New Delhi after the 2+2 ministerial level dialogue with India where the aggressive and expansionist behaviour of China and the ongoing tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) figured prominently.

Pompeo also referred to the bloody clash between the Indian and Chinese troops on June 15 in the Galwan valley where 20 Indian Army personnel, including commanding officer, were killed.

“Our leaders and our citizens see with increasing clarity that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is no friend to democracy, the rule of law transparency...I am glad to say that the US and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against all manner of threats and not just those posed by the Chinese communist party,” Pompeo had said.

Beijing termed his statement as an attempt to impose American hegemony in the region. Reacting to the US push for closer defence ties with India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing “the border affairs between China and India are matters between the two countries.”

“Now the situation across the border is generally stable and the two sides are in resolving relevant issues through consultations and negotiations,” he said. It was in an obvious reference to the military and diplomatic level talks between India and China to resolve the standoff.

Wang criticised the US’ Indo-Pacific concept, saying “the Indo-Pacific strategy proposed by the US is preaching outdated Cold War mentality and preaching confrontation and geopolitical game.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.

The Chinese embassy in a statement here also said “boundary question is a bilateral matter” and there is “no space” for a third party to intervene.

It said the development of ties between two countries should not “infringe upon legitimate rights and interests of a third party” and should be conducive to regional peace, stability and development.

“The boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India. The two sides have been discussing disengagement and deescalation 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,” it said.

China also charged the US with pitching an Indo-Pacific strategy to maintain its dominance. “The ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’ proposed by the US is to stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs and to stoke geopolitical competition, in a bid to maintain the dominance of the US, organise closed and exclusive ideological cliques,” the statement said.