On Friday, China's State media said United States President Donald Trump was trying to "drive a wedge between China and India" over his offer to mediate amid the on-going border tensions.
On Friday, Mr Trump reiterated the offer, first made on Twitter, telling reporters he had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “They have a big conflict India and China. Two countries with 1.4 billion people. Two countries with very powerful militaries. India is not happy and probably China is not happy,” he said. “I can tell you; I did speak to Prime Minister Modi. He is not in a good mood about what is going on with China.”
The Global Times, a Communist Party-run newspaper, said in a commentary that “a conflicting China-India relationship serves [U.S.] interests. Washington believes the combined strength of Beijing and New Delhi could impair its interests in Asia and beyond. An opportunist U.S. has never given up its attempt to drive a wedge between China and India…. the Trump administration emphasises India as a major pillar in its much-touted Indo-Pacific concept.”
The newspaper has also mocked Mr Trump for his knowledge about India and China. “It seems Trump finally knows that China and India, the two largest Asian powers, share borders. Early this year, A Very Stable Genius, a book written by two Washington Post journalists, revealed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was shocked and concerned when Mr Trump told him India and China did not share a border,” it said.
The commentary described the current stand-offs as “reminiscent of the 2017 Doklam stalemate”, which it blamed on India for “illegally construct[ing] defence facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region”. Noting that Doklam was “successfully solved with concerted efforts and wisdom,” it said, “the latest dispute can be solved bilaterally by China and India.” “The two countries should keep alert on the U.S, which exploits every chance to create waves that jeopardise regional peace and order,” the newspaper said.