Amidst tensions with China, India kept the phones ringing for back channel talks

New Delhi, July 05: Even as tensions continue to soar with China, India had kept all its diplomatic channels open. The talks between External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo was kept a secret for strategic reasons.

A spokesperson for the United States had said, "we are closely monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control. We note the Indian military has announced that 20 soldiers have died, and we offer our condolences to their families. Both India and China have expressed a desire to de-escalate, and we support a peaceful resolution of the current situation."

There has been massive global support for India in midst of the stand off with China. Japan was the latest to join the International community in extending support to India.

Japanese Ambassador on Friday said that it hopes for a peaceful resolution through dialogues. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, Ambassador, Satoshi Suzuki tweeted. Japan itself is engaged in a row with the Chinese with regard to the Senkaku Islands.

China's aggressive stance along the India-China border fits with a larger a pattern of Chinese aggression in other parts of the world and these actions only confirm the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)," the White House had said on Wednesday. The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo also welcomed India's decision to ban Chinese mobile apps.

"This was a hard blow against the soldiers, their families, and the nation. In these difficult circumstances, I wish to express my steadfast and friendly support, along with that of the French armed forces," French defence minister, Florence Parley had written in a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Violence is in no one's interest, the UK had said in reference to the India-China stand off. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Wednesday had said that China had committed a serious breach of the agreement under which Hong Kong was handed over to the Chinese authorities. We encourage India and China to engage in dialogue on issues relating to the border, he had also said.

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said tensions overt territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, he had also said.

India has also got an assurance of steadfast support from France.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian too spoke over the phone and discussed issues relating to contemporary security and political importance. On Monday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and his French counterpart Francois Delattre also held a video conference.

"This was a hard blow against the soldiers, their families and the nation. In these difficult circumstances, I wish to express my steadfast and friendly support, along with that of the French armed forces. I request you to kindly convey my heartfelt condolences to the entire Indian armed forces as well as to the grieving families," Parly said in the letter to Singh