Kashmir may not be ‘major topic’ during PM Modi-Xi Jinping meeting: China

PTI, Sep 18, 2019, 9:36 AM IST

Beijing: China on Tuesday said the Kashmir issue may not be a ‘major topic’ of discussion during the planned 2nd informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in spite of the high voltage campaign by its close ally Pakistan over India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior Chinese official said it should be left to PM Modi and Xi Jinping to discuss what they wish to.

“I’m not sure if Kashmir will be on the agenda because this will be an informal summit. I think we need to give the leaders time to discuss whatever they would like to,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.

“My understanding is that Kashmir will be a major topic occupying the talks,” she added.

China, the all-weather ally of Pakistan, already tried to take the Kashmir issue to the UN Security Council last month. But a closed-door meeting of the UNSC, in a snub to both Beijing and Islamabad, ended without any outcome or statement.

On China’s stand on the resolution of the Kashmir issue, Hua said “we see Kashmir as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

“We know there were UN resolutions regarding Kashmir. We hope this issue can be resolved through friendly and peaceful negotiations between India and Pakistan,” she added.

A lot of significance is attached to the 2nd informal summit between PM Modi and Xi Jinping, expected to take place next month on the same lines as Wuhan summit.