Watching the India-China standoff closely, don't want escalation: US

The United States is watching the India-China standoff in Ladakh closely, senior officials of the Trump administration said on Saturday, ahead of an important visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper next week. US wants to ensure the situation does not escalate, they said. The US also stresses it is important to work with like-minded partners like India to counter "China's aggressive behaviour" and wants an increased Indian involvement in Southeast Asia including its military presence in the South China Sea. 'The defence relationship with India is at its best in recent memory’ the US officials noted.