Donald Trump says India-China LAC tensions 'nasty', wants to 'get involved & help'

Even as his administration continues to name and shame China for COVID-19 spread and unfair trade practices, US president Donald Trump has said that he would 'love to get involved' in the LAC tensions between India and China and would 'help'. Trump on Friday said that the ongoing tensions at the India-China border are a 'very nasty situation'. "If we can do anything we would love to get involved and help," he added. Trump further said that he 'gets along with every country' apart from China as he 'did not like what is happening with respect to the pandemic'.

This is not the first time Trump has offered mediation in a bilateral matter of India. In 2019, when tensions rose between India and Pakistan after abrogation of Article 370, Trump had offered to mediate, however, India has maintained that there is no scope of any mediation in issues that are bilateral, including border disputes with China and Pakistan. Trump's offer also comes ahead of US polls, with he calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be a 'good friend' and is a 'great leader.'

"It has been a very nasty situation and we stand ready to help with respect to China and India. If we can do anything we would love to get involved and help. We are talking to both countries about that," Trump said.

READ | Trump: US has seen no proof Navalny was poisoned

When asked about whether China was bullying India or not, he answered, "I hope not but they are going more strongly at it than a lot of people even understand." Trump further slammed China stating, "China at this point is the nation you should be talking about much more so than Russia because the things that China is doing are far worse. Look at what happened with the China virus, look at what they have done to 188 countries all over the world."

READ | CDS Gen Rawat warns Pakistan of trying to take advantage amid LAC faceoff with China

Chinese aggression

The Indian Army stated that the Chinese troops on August 29 and 30 had violated the consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic talks over the LAC standoff. The Indian troops not only pre-empted the activity of the PLA on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso lake but also thwarted attempts to unilaterally change the facts on the ground. Noting that the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand emphasised that it is equally determined to protect its territorial integrity. Thereafter, a Brigade Commander-level flag meeting commenced at Chushul to resolve the issues. As per sources, there was no physical clash between the troops of the two countries. 

READ | China rebukes UN experts for raising concerns over security law in Hong Kong

The LAC standoff

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. In the standoff period, multiple rounds of Corps Commander-level meetings and WMCC talks have been held between India and China.

During the July 5 conversation between the Special Representatives National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, it was agreed that early and total disengagement along with de-escalation from the border areas should take place as per the bilateral agreements. There was a consensus that full restoration of peace and tranquillity was necessary for the smooth overall development of bilateral relations. India has consistently highlighted the need to restore the status quo ante.

READ | EAM S Jaishankar addresses LAC faceoff, says 'China has not gained from incursions'