New Delhi:
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that he was watching the situation in Kashmir and assured him that Beijing will always support Islamabad’s core interests, according to a report published in China’s official news agency Xinhua.
The Chinese president reportedly told Imran Khan that after their meeting, the right and wrong about the Kashmir situation has been cleared and asked him to peacefully resolve the issue with India. He also assured Imran Khan that friendship between China and Pakistan was “unbreakable” despite changed international and regional situation.
"No matter how the international and regional situation changes, the friendship between China and Pakistan has always been unbreakable and rock-solid, and China-Pakistan cooperation has always maintained strong vitality," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
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China has blown hot and cold on Kashmir ever since India revoked a constitutional provision that granted the state a significant autonomy and divided it into two parts. It was China who helped Pakistan took the issue at the United Nations Security Council. During the 74th UNGA session in New York, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had said “no actions that would unilaterally change the status quo should be taken."
However, China changed its tune ahead of the ahead of Xi Jinping’s summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai on October 11 and 12 and said that Kashmir issue should be resolved bilaterally. According to reports, the issue of Kashmir is not on the table during the Modi-Xi summit but can be discussed if the Chinese president demands more clarity on the situation.
