NEW DELHI: China’s strong snub to India against Pakistan frustrates NewDelhi.
New Delhi reacted sharply on Wednesday after Xi Jinping again supportedPrime Minister Imran Khan on occupied Kashmir, just two days before Indianpremier Narendra Modi was due to host the Chinese president for an“informal summit”.
President Xi told Prime Minister Khan during talks in Beijing ahead of theChinese leader’s meeting with Mr Modi in Chennai on Friday and Saturdaythat Beijing was paying close attention to the Kashmir situation and thatthe facts were clear, the *Xinhua* state news agency reported.
In response, India’s foreign ministry said: “India’s position has beenconsistent and clear that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India.China is well aware of our position. It is not for other countries tocomment on the internal affairs of India.”
Ties between India and China have historically been testy, and recentevents surrounding occupied Kashmir — in particular Beijing’s diplomaticsupport to Islamabad at the United Nations — have added to strains.
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“China sympathises and supports the situation faced by Pakistan on this[Kashmir] issue. So, at present, the relationship between China and Indiahas reached a very delicate point,” said Cheng Xiaohe at the Department ofInternational Politics at Renmin University.
India’s move in August to split occupied Jammu and Kashmir into two angerednot just Pakistan but also China because it will make the Ladakh region ofthe state a separate Indian administrative territory.
