US expresses concern over India-China border stand-off, supports peaceful resolution

On Tuesday, the United States supported a peaceful resolution to the India-China border standoff and expressed its concern over Beijing's attempts to intimidate neighbours. This comes after India and China held bilateral consultations on issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council amid the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

It also said that India is one of the most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region and welcomed its emergence as a leading global power. While speaking at a press conference US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price said that as always we'll stand with our friends.

"We are concerned by Beijing's pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbours. As always, we'll stand with friends, we'll stand with partners, we'll stand with allies to advance our shared prosperity, security and values, in this case, the Indo-Pacific", Price said reported ANI.

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Price said that the US supports the peaceful resolution of the situation while speaking on India-China talks on the border dispute,

"We are closely monitoring the situation. We know the ongoing talks between governments of India and China and we continue to support direct dialogue and a peaceful resolution of those border disputes," he said.

On the basis of the talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US State Secretary Antony Blinken, Price added that the US-India comprehensive strategic partnership is broad as well as multifaceted,

"We will continue to engage at the highest levels of our governments to deepen cooperation on many fronts and we are confident that the strong and upward trajectory of our partnership will continue," the State Department spokesperson said.

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India, China To Hold 10th Round Of Talks over LAC

India and China have agreed to soon hold the next round of Corps Commander-level talks, to steer the de-escalation process in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. During the ninth round of military talks held last week, the two countries had agreed to push for an early disengagement of troops and to continue "effective efforts" to stabilize and control the situation in eastern Ladakh.

"It was said that both sides agreed to follow the important consensus of the leaders of the respective country and maintain the momentum of talks," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said after the ninth round of military talks.

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What is the LAC faceoff? 

The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. 

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(With ANI Inputs)