Published 14:58 IST, October 24th 2020
US to work with like-minded-partners; will ensure LAC standoff does not escalate: Official
The United States is closely monitoring the India-China standoff in Ladakh and does not want an escalation, senior officials of the Trump administration said
- World News
- 2 min read
The United States is closely monitoring the India-China standoff in Ladakh and does not want an escalation, senior officials of the Donald Trump administration said on Saturday. Given China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour across the Indo-Pacific from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, it’s more important than ever that the United States work with like-minded partners such as India, the official said.
The remarks of the US official comes ahead of an important visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US Secretary Defence to New Delhi next week.
"As the United States, Australia, Japan and India (QUAD) are getting together to cooperate on one issue or another, if there are other countries that want to participate in those discussions or those activities, the door is always open" the US administration official said while speaking at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
Adding further, the official said that Secretary Pompeo and Minister Jaishankar, along with their Japanese and Australian counterparts, met in Tokyo on October 6 for the second Quad meeting of foreign ministers.
'Quad not an alliance'
The Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) is the informal strategic dialogue between USA, India, Japan and Australia. India earlier this week had announced the participation of Australia in the upcoming Malabar exercise alongside the US and Japan.
Briefing the media, the State Department official said the foundational concept behind the Quad is one of the vibrant democracies working together towards a common vision of a free and open India-Pacific region. Quad is not an alliance and there's no mutual obligation among the countries who are involved, the official further stated.
US to discuss India-China border issue during dialogue
The US will probably discuss the border tensions between India and China during the two-plus-two dialogue next week, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson had said on Friday. The US said that the subjects to be covered included regional security cooperation, military-to-military interactions, defence information sharing, and defence trade.
The situation on Line of Actual Control will probably be discussed at some point and we are watching the situation closely, Thompson said adding that the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) and other agreements are in the works.
Meanwhile, since mid-May Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in a harsh standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh.
(With ANI inputs)
Updated 14:58 IST, October 24th 2020