News Desk
India is in talks with China to deal with the most serious military standoff on their disputed border in recent years, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, sidestepping US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate.
Trump said in a Twitter post the United States had told India and China that it was ready to arbitrate their “raging border dispute”, the first time he has tried to throw himself into India-China diplomacy.
“We are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve this issue,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told reporters, responding to Trump’s offer.
The dispute is the most serious since India and China, who fought a brief border in 1962, were locked in a similar face off in the eastern Himalayas that lasted nearly three months in 2017.
Srivastava said India wanted peace and stability at the border but would defend its territory.
“Our troops have taken a responsible approach towards border management and are following protocols,” Srivastava said.