(TibetanReview.net, Nov06’22) – China has on Nov 4 “promised” to support Pakistan in protecting its “territorial integrity” right after India vowed to take back the part of its Kashmir region which is still under Pakistani occupation. The remark followed a visit to China by Pakistani Prime Minister Mr Shehbaz Sharif who was reported to have briefed Beijing on the current situation in the Valley.
“China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, development interests and dignity, and in achieving unity, stability, development and prosperity,” the timesnownews.com Nov 4 quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as having told Sharif, as per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government.
Last week India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was widely reported to have stressed that his country’s journey of development would not be complete without reclaiming its territories illegally occupied by Pakistan, including Gilgit and Baltistan.
During Sharif’s visit to Beijing, China and Pakistan issued a joint statement which said the Kashmir issue should be resolved as per the UN Charter and bilateral agreement. “The two sides reiterated that a peaceful and prosperous South Asia is in the common interest of all parties. They emphasized the importance of resolving all outstanding disputes through sincere dialogue,” the Joint statement was quoted as saying.
Briefed by the Pakistani side on the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, the Chinese side was stated to have “reiterated that the Kashmir issue was a dispute left from history that should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements,” in the statement.