NEW DELHI – China gives an embarrassing blow to India over objections onraising Occupied Kashmir issue at UN Security Council.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has said Beijing sought a review onKashmir as it was keen for regional peace and stability to be maintainedand for Pakistan and India to de-escalate their months-long tensions.
China has defended its decision to go before the UN Security Council (UNSClink?)to seek an informal third review of the vexed dispute between Pakistan andIndia over Kashmir this month. It had earlier sought similar reviews inAugust and December 2019.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media, includingoutlets from India, on Friday that China wants both Islamabad and New Delhito get back to the negotiating tablelinktodiscuss all issues over which both have a dispute, exercise restraint onborders dividing their nations as well as in communication and take stepsto restore normalcy in South Asia.
Beijing is keen to constructively engage with both India and Pakistanpurely out of goodwill, Shuang further said, adding that any solution ofthe Kashmir dispute should take place according to relevant UNSCresolutions and bilateral treaties.link
He said UNSC members did flag their concerns about the prevailing situationin Jammu and Kashmir during their 15 January meeting in New York and calledon both India and Pakistan to settle the political issue peacefully andwith restraint.
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“China’s position on the Kashmir issue is consistent and clear. This issueis a dispute left from history and it should be properly resolvedlinkfollowingthe UN Charter, through relevant resolutions”, Shuang maintained, addingthat both Islamabad and New Delhi needed to respect international law toensure a proper settlement.
On Wednesday, China placed a demand for an informal discussion on theKashmir issue in the UNSC on behalf of “all-weather ally” Pakistan. Amajority of UNSC members, including the China pushed for “closed door UNSCmeetings” on Kashmir in August and December 2019, but was foiled by thefour other veto power holding nations – US, the UK, France, and Russia –however, rejected Beijing’s plea, saying it was for India and Pakistan toresolve the issue bilaterally.
China has consistently objected to New Delhi’s decision to alter thegeographical identity of Jammu and Kashmir through an act of Parliament andbifurcate the erstwhile state into two territories – Jammu and Kashmir andLadakh — to be administered by the Indian government, Sputnik has reported.
