(TibetanReview.net, May27’26) – India has reacted strongly to Pakistan and China making a reference to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement they issued after a meeting between host President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on May 25 during the latter’s four-day visit.
The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India and no other country has the locus standi to comment on the issue, the timesofindia.com and a number of other news reports May 26 cited Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal as saying in response to media queries.
The joint statement, issued by Pakistan’s foreign office, said Islamabad briefed China on the “latest developments” in Jammu and Kashmir, and that China reiterated its longstanding position that the dispute should be “properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements”, the report said.
“Both sides reiterated opposition to any unilateral actions and reaffirmed the significance of maintaining peace and stability in South Asia, and resolving all outstanding disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements,” the statement was quoted as saying.
Parts of Kashmir and Ladakh are under Pakistani rule with the signature China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects under China’s Belt and Roads Initiative (BRI) being partly carried out in it.
Regarding it, the MEA spokesperson has said, “As regards the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, some of which are in India’s sovereign territory, we resolutely oppose and reject any moves by other countries to reinforce or legitimise Pakistan’s illegal and forcible occupation of these territories, impinging on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times.”
A portion of India’s Ladakh Union Territory is also under Chinese rule, after it was gifted by Pakistan in the early 1960s.
Also on May 25, China moved to step up security cooperation with Pakistan to “jointly ensure peace and stability in the region”, even as it recently came out in public about providing on-site technical support to the armed forces of its “all-weather-friend” during the South Asian nation’s cross-border military flare-up with India in May 2025, noted deccanherald.com May 26.
The report said the Chinese statement came after President Xi’s meeting with Sharif and Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir a day before India was to host a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad countries, which includes India, Japan, Australia and the USA. The grouping had come into existence to counter Beijing’s hegemony in the Indo-Pacific region.
“China firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Xi was stated to have told Sharif. “The two sides should conduct security cooperation even better and in broader areas and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability,” he was quoted as telling the prime minister and military chief of Pakistan in a press release issued by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, hours after Quad foreign ministers announced deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in their May 26 meeting in New Delhi, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Nin expressed opposition to the grouping, saying Beijing does not support “exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation”, reported theprint.in May 26.
At a joint press briefing at the Hyderabad House, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad had agreed to launch an Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative, alongside an expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative among the four-member nation grouping amid rising concerns over Beijing’s expanding military footprint in the region.
Rubio also announced a new Quad initiative focused on enhancing port infrastructure in the Pacific Islands and an Energy Security Framework.
He said the grouping was evolving into “a partnership of action” and announced four major initiatives aimed at strengthening economic and strategic resilience across the Indo-Pacific.