NEW DELHI – China launched an attack on India at the height of Hindi-Chinibhai-bhai sentiment espoused by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru andoccupied Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir. In the globalised set up, foryears it blocked tagging Masood Azhar a global terrorist when the rest ofthe world agreed with Indian viewpoint.
While Pakistan has been visibly aggressive and desperate in attempting toswing international opinion on Kashmir, especially after the scrapping ofspecial status of Jammu and Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, Chinahas been more subtle and nuanced, India today has reported.
China knows that it is the best bet for Pakistan if the Imran Khangovernment has any chance of getting international attention over Kashmir.The other hope for Imran Khan is US President Donald Trump, whoseutterances on Kashmir and mediation offers have been firmly refuted by hisown administration.
This makes China a serious player in diplomatic warfare between India andPakistan over the status of Jammu and Kashmir. China is present in Jammuand Kashmir in two main pockets — both illegally acquired.
*China in Kashmir*
China occupies about 38,000 sq km of Aksai Chin, which it claims to be apart of the Hotan County, lying in the southwestern part of XinjiangAutonomous Region. China has rejected the Simla Accord of 1914 signedbetween representatives of China, Tibet and British India.
According to this accord, Ladakh is part of Jammu and Kashmir. China doesnot recognise this agreement saying that it was signed by a government thatdid not represent the people of China. The current communist regime ofChina came to power in the country in 1949.
China continues to recognise Ladakh as “disputed” territory whereIndo-China boundary is yet to be demarcated. This stand has helped Chinajustify its occupation of Aksai Chin.
Besides, China has got an area of over 5,800 sq km in Shaksgam Valley ofPakistan Kashmir and renamed it as Trans-Karakoram Tract. It was originallypart of Hunza-Gilgit region of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Inreturn, China has stood by Pakistan in all its dirty games against India.
The Pakistan-China boundary agreement of 1963, under which Pakistan gifteda part of Jammu and Kashmir’s land, calls for re-settlement of boundarylimits in the region once the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan isresolved. This clause has a hidden message for China that it may get moreland in strategically significant region.
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*How China reacted post-August 5*
On August 5, the Narendra Modi government ceased the operation of Article370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also bifurcated thestate into two Union Territories. Ladakh will be carved out as a UnionTerritory without a legislature.
China responded to the move angrily saying India has violated sovereigntyconcerns of China. The obvious reference was to its claim over Ladakh.
“Recently India has continued to hurt Chinese sovereignty by unilaterallychanging domestic lawThis act is not acceptable and won’t be in any sensebinding,” the Chinese foreign ministry said on August 6. Here, the choiceof words by the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying wascurious.
She categorically termed the Article 370 move by the Modi government amatter relating to “domestic law” of India but asserted it is not “binding”on China with regard to Aksai Chin, which was referred to by Union HomeMinister Amit Shah when he moved the motion to make changes in the statusof Jammu and Kashmir.
Ten days later, China extended unhindered support to Pakistan over itsKashmir policy. “China will continue to firmly support Pakistan insafeguarding its legitimate rights and interests and continue to presideover justice for Pakistan on the international stage,” China’s ForeignMinister Wang Yi said after hosting his counterpart from Pakistan.
This commitment came just ahead of Wang’s meeting with Foreign Minister SJaishankar, who visited Beijing as part of India’s diplomatic outreach tointernational community in the aftermath of Kashmir move.
China then pressed for a closed-door deliberation of the United NationsSecurity Council over the Kashmir.
