HONG KONG: China on Tuesday opposed India’s decision to revoke the special status of Occupied Kashmir, because it undermined the country’s territorial sovereignty, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement on the ministry’s website.
“India’s action is unacceptable and would not have any legal effect,” Hua said. China urged India to be cautious on border issues and to strictly abide by the agreements reached by both countries in order to avoid any actions that would further complicate boundary issues, she added.
The disputed region is divided into Indian Occupied Kashmir, comprising the valley and the region around Jammu city, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) consisting of a wedge of territory in the west, and a thinly populated high-altitude area in the north under Chinese control.
Prepared to go to any extent to fulfill our obligations to Kashmiri people: Army
The Chinese statement was most critical of the impact of India’s actions on the mainly Buddhist region of Ladakh – an area of strategic importance nestled between Tibet and Pakistan, Bloomberg News reported.
Just two years after India and China’s decades-long dispute flared up over a remote area of the Himalayas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise move on Kashmir has inflamed tensions yet again.
Beijing has always opposed India’s inclusion of Chinese territory in the western section of the China-India border, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement on Tuesday.
“China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir, Hua said. “We call on India and Pakistan to peacefully resolve relevant disputes through dialogue,” she said, noting China had urged India to “avoid any move that further complicates the border issue”.
India and China have long had border disputes in Ladakh, which was made a federally administered region along with the move to remove the special status to Kashmir in parliament on Monday.
