China opposes G20 meeting in Kashmir, says will skip it: ‘Disputed territory’

G20 meeting: First China and Pakistan raked up the Kashmir issue in a joint statement on Thursday. A day later, China said it will not attend the planned G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Jammu and Kashmir next week. China’s foreign ministry in a statement said it is “firmly opposed” to holding such meetings in the “disputed territory”, according to information.

“China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meetings on disputed territory,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing in response to a question.

“We will not attend such meetings,” he added.

G20 meeting from May 22

India is hosting the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, from May 22 to May 24.

India countered China’s objection and said it is free to hold meetings on its own territory. It said on Friday peace and tranquility on its border is essential for normal ties with China, according to reports.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday the G20 meeting in Srinagar is a “big opportunity” for Jammu and Kashmir to showcase its true potential. Such an international event taking place in Srinagar would send a positive message in the country and across the globe, he said.

Pakistan has also opposed India’s decision to hold a G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir. India has dismissed the objections of its neighbouring nation. China’s decision to skip the summit is apparently linked to objections by its close ally Pakistan.  China also did not attend a G20 meeting held in Arunachal Pradesh in March.

China, Pak seek UN resolution

Earlier this month, Pakistan and its ally China raked up the long-standing dispute in a joint statement where both reiterated their position that the Kashmir issue should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with “the UN charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.”

Rushing to Pakistan’s defence, China had said the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan was left over from history and should be resolved as per the UN resolutions while avoiding any unilateral action.

India’s External Affairs Minister at the SCO meeting in New Delhi launched a sharp attack on his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, saying, “They have nothing to do with the G20, nothing to do with even Srinagar and Kashmir. They should answer when they will vacate the illegally occupied territories of Jammu and Kashmir.”

India has previously slammed statements from Beijing and Islamabad on Jammu and Kashmir.

‘J&K and Ladakh integral, inalienable parts of India’

“We have consistently rejected such statements and all parties concerned are well aware of our clear position on these matters. The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India. No other country has a locus standi to comment on the same,” the Ministry of External Affairs has commented before on comments by Pakistan and China.

India and China have been locked in a lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh for three years. The bilateral relationship came under severe strain following the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020.

India has maintained that the bilateral relationship cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border area.

Also Read: Debutant Sapna Choudhary looks ravishing in embroidered Mermaid dress at Cannes 2023; Check out her look

Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.