Ahead of Xi's visit, China says Kashmir issue should be resolved bilaterally

October 08, 2019 17:07

As Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Xi Jinping ahead of the Chinese president's important visit to India, China said the Kashmir issue should be resolved between New Delhi and Islamabad, significantly omitting its recent references to the UN and UN Security Council resolutions.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang during his media briefing here on Tuesday did not make any official announcement about Xi's visit to India.

However, Chinese officials informally said an announcement would be made simultaneously in Beijing and New Delhi on Wednesday.

The foreign ministry has also called for a special media briefing on Wednesday on "Chinese leader's outbound visit".

"India and China have a tradition of high-level exchanges. Both sides have communication exchange over high-level Visit. Any new information will be released soon," Geng said in response to questions on Xi's visit to India.

Both India and China are major developing countries of the world and major emerging markets, he said.

"Since the Wuhan informal summit (last year), our bilateral relations have gathered good momentum," he said.

"We have been advancing our cooperation and properly managing our differences. We have a tradition of high level exchange and our two sides are maintaining communication on high level exchange in the next phase. We should make good atmosphere and environment for this," he said.

When asked about Khan's visit to Beijing ahead of Xi's trip to India and whether the Kashmir issue will figure in his talks with the Chinese leaders, Geng said that China's stand is that the Kashmir issue should be resolved between India and Pakistan.

"And so you are paying attention to the Kashmir issue, right? China's position on Kashmir issue is clear and consistent, he said.

"We call on India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue and consultation on all issues including Kashmir issue and consolidate mutual trust. This is in line with interest of both countries and common aspiration of the world," he said.

His comments marked a significant shift on what China has been saying on Kashmir in recent weeks in the aftermath of India's move to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution removing the special status to Kashmir.

In its first reaction on August 6, the Chinese foreign ministry issued two separate statements.

In one statement, China also expressed its opposition to India's move to create a separate Union Territory of Ladakh highlighting Beijing's territorial claims in the area.

The second statement said, "We call on both India and Pakistan to peacefully resolve the relevant disputes through dialogue and consultation and safeguard peace and stability in the region".

-- PTI

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