China ‘paying attention to situation in J&K’, opposes any unilateral action

Islamabad: China on Monday opposed 'any unilateral actions that complicate the situation' in Jammu and Kashmir as it maintained that the issue should be "peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements."

China also said that it was paying close attention to the "current situation in Jammu and Kashmir."

The remarks were made in a joint statement at the conclusion of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's two-day visit to Pakistan.

The two sides exchanged views on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side "on the situation, including its concerns, position, and urgent humanitarian issues".

"The Chinese side responded that it was paying close attention to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation," the statement said.

On Pakistan's request, China--a close ally of Islamabad--had called for a closed-door meeting at the United Nations Security Council in the wake of India's decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the China-Pakistan axis had failed at the closed-door meeting last month when a majority of the Council members refused to take up the Kashmir matter and rejected the Chinese position.

At the end of the closed-door meeting, China and Pakistan stood isolated as a member after member refused to endorse their position.

India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin had told the media after the meeting that the matter related to Article 370 of Indian Constitution "were entirely an internal matter of India".

He had also referred to UN representatives of China and Pakistan who addressed the media before him and said the national statements were sought to be passed off as the will of the international community.

Earlier, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that India rejects China's opposition to its move of conferring Union Territory status on Ladakh, calling it an "internal matter" of the country.

"The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019, introduced by the Government in Parliament on 5 August, which proposes the formation of a new "Union Territory of Ladakh" is an internal matter concerning the territory of India. India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise," Kumar said in response to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks that India's move to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir undermines China's territorial sovereignty.