China stands by Pakistan on Kashmir

Beijing, Aug 10 (IANS) China has "reassured Pakistan of it's support and commitment" and announced that it supported Islamabad's decision to approach the UN Security Council in the wake of India's decision to revoke Article 370 of its Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, media reports said on Saturday.

An official statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry after a meeting between visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi here on Friday said that Beijing was seriously concerned about the latest escalation of tensions in Kashmir, The Express Tribune reported.

Qureshi, who arrived in the Chinese capital early Friday to hold consultations in the wake of India revoking special status of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week, apprised officials in Beijing about Pakistan's concerns and reservations.

"The Kashmir issue is a dispute left from the colonial history. It should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreement," the statement quoted Wang as saying.

"China believes that unilateral actions that will complicate the situation should not be taken."

Wang stressed that as all-weather strategic cooperative partners, China and Pakistan have understood and supported each other on issues concerning "our respective core interests".

In a series of Twitter posts, Foreign Minister Qureshi said he thanked his Chinese counterpart for a meeting on a short notice.

"Today I had a strong and conclusive meeting with State Counsellor and Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. Pakistan shares a bond of brotherhood with China as further evidenced in the meeting today where China reassured Pakistan of it's support and commitment.

"China supports Pakistan's repeated calls for peace and stability and we will work together to highlight the voice of Kashmiris to the world."

Qureshi added that China was Pakistan's friend that has long been trusted, and that friendship between the two nations was rock solid. He believed that China would stand up for justice on the Kashmir issue, reports The Express Tribune.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday called on India and Pakistan to resolve their disputes through dialogue and negotiations and jointly uphold peace and stability in the region.

Regarding Pakistan's decision to downgrade diplomatic relations and suspension of trade with India, she said that Beijing noted relevant statement by Pakistan.

"The pressing priority is that the relevant party should stop unilaterally changing the status quo and avoid escalation of tension."