Srinagar: China on Wednesday said the “situation” in Jammu and Kashmir has attracted international attention and urged India and Pakistan to avoid escalating tensions.
“The situation in Kashmir has attracted the attention of the international community,” foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a regular news briefing.
The “conflict” near the LoC would not only impact the “peace and tranquillity” of India and Pakistan but also affect the region, he added.
China offered to play a “constructive role” in improving India-Pakistan ties, saying the “conflict” in Kashmir had attracted the world community’s attention, but offered no comment or condolences for the attack on Amarnath pilgrims.
Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured, after a suspected militant attack on the government forces in Batengoo, a village between Khanbal and Bejbehara, an area of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Without elaborating what it meant by “situation,” Beijing said it was willing to play a “constructive role” in improving relations between India and Pakistan.
“We hope that relevant sides can do more things that are conducive to peace and stability in the region and avoid escalating the tensions.
China is willing to play a constructive role in improving relations between India and Pakistan,” he said.
For over five weeks, the two countries have been involved in a stand-off along a part of their 3,500 kilometres shared border. Since both the countries are populous and have very robust economies, and have fought a war over border disputes in 1962, the stand-off has attracted global media attention.
Both India and China have rushed more troops to the border as the divide between the two neighbouring countries is turning out to be one of the longest since the India-China war of 1962.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, “China has repeatedly said that Donglang is part of its territory since ‘ancient times’; it’s the first time that a Chinese academic said it is actually ‘disputed’. ”
(Inputs from IANS)
