China raised Kashmir issue in UNSC as gesture of goodwill: Chinese FO

Chinese spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geng Shuang on Friday in a briefing to the media was aggressively questioned by an Indian reporter on China’s stance over Kashmir issue, ARY News reported.

On a question relating to China’s stance on Kashmir and it bringing the matter to the UN security council, the Indian side stated that China has not received the support of other members of the Security Council on the issue, yet it insisted on bringing it to the table, the Indian side also said that China should “reflect” its position on the Kashmir issue.

Kashmir has been a bilateral dispute between Pakistan and India and China nor the United Nations should feel the need to intervene in bilateral affairs of two sovereign states was the defence built up the reporter in the phrasing of the question which was then answered for by Mr Geng Shuang.

“China’s position on the Kashmir issue is consistent and clear. The Kashmir issue is a controversy left over from history and should be properly resolved peacefully in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, relevant Security Council resolutions, and bilateral agreements,” said the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign office.

“At the request of Pakistan, the UN Security Council considered the Kashmir issue on January 15 and heard briefings from the UN Secretariat and other relevant parties. Council members expressed concern over the current situation in Kashmir and called for compliance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, peaceful settlement of disputes through political dialogue, relevant parties maintain restraint, and promote the reduction of tension.”

“I want to emphasize that the issue of India and Pakistan has always been on the agenda of the Security Council, and the Security Council should continue to pay attention to the situation in Kashmir in accordance with the development of the situation. The Security Council’s deliberations will help ease the situation in the area and promote a proper resolution of relevant issues. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China will continue to play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability. The Indian side should also seriously consider and actively respond to the demands of the members of the Security Council.”

“On January 15th, the Security Council considered the Kashmir issue. During the review process, most members of the Security Council expressed concern about the current situation and also called on the relevant parties to exercise restraint and promote tensions to cool down as soon as possible. At the same time, they repeatedly stressed that dialogue should be adopted And other political means to settle disputes peacefully. This is what I understand about the deliberations of the Council.”

The reporter then inquired quoting the answer given by Shuang: “members of the Security Council are concerned about the current situation in Kashmir”, but I only saw China’s statement. The Security Council did not make any statement, and the other members also remained silent. The so-called “members of the Security Council express concern about the current situation in Kashmir” should be only China’s own views? I don’t know if any parties have issued a resolution or official statement during the review process?

To this, the spokesperson rebutted: “Which members have expressed different opinions, can you introduce me? Which members said they did not express concern about the situation?”

Reporter: Except for China, no other countries have expressed concern.

“They just did not publicly express their views. I have just briefed the Council on its deliberations. If you don’t believe the Chinese introduction, you can check it yourself,” said Guang Sheng.

“China has participated constructively in the UN Security Council discussions on the Kashmir issue. Our original intention and consideration are to urge all parties concerned to exercise restraint, promote the situation to cool down as soon as possible, and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, which is entirely out of goodwill. If the Indian side has other interpretations of this, I think it seems a bit overdone.”

“China’s position on the Kashmir issue is clear and consistent. This is a historical dispute and should be properly resolved peacefully in accordance with the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions, and bilateral agreements. China has always called on India and Pakistan to maintain restraint, strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual trust, and push the situation to cool as soon as possible. At the same time, as a responsible big country, we have maintained close communication with India and Pakistan and are willing to play a constructive role.”

In conclusion, the Chinese spokesperson said that both India and Pakistan were important countries in South Asia and China encourages them to strengthen communication, resolve differences and contradictions between them through dialogue and consultation, and continuously improve and develop bilateral relations.