China says Kashmir issue left over from history

China-Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Strategic Dialogue joint statement urges early intra-Afghan peace talks

Mariana Baabar

ISLAMABAD: China reiterated again on Friday that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left over from history between Pakistan and India, which is an objective fact, and that the dispute should be resolved peacefully and properly through the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

“China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation. Both sides underlined that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous South Asia was in common interest of all parties. Parties need to settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” read a joint statement released simultaneously in Beijing and Islamabad at the conclusion of the 2nd Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Strategic Dialogue.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi headed their delegations. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), including its concerns, position and current urgent issues.

China and Pakistan say that their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership is beneficial to international and regional peace and stability, and serves the mutual security and development interests of both countries as well as of international community and regional countries.

Even as talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are once again stalled, both China and Pakistan encouraged relevant parties in Afghanistan to seize this historic opportunity and commence the intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest leading to durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on the Afghan issue and appreciated the efforts made by Afghan government and the Taliban to initiate the intra-Afghan negotiations,” said the joint statement.

They emphasised the importance of an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive negotiated agreement for future political settlement in Afghanistan.

China appreciated Pakistan’s positive contribution to the Afghan peace process and efforts for promoting peace and stability in region and beyond. The two sides exchanged views on COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, and reached consensus to collectively take measures to safeguard their common interests and promote peace, prosperity, and development in the region.

Both countries agreed to further strengthen cooperation in developing a vaccine to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, and strive to promote establishment of China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future and Community of Common Health.

“Pakistan and China have stood in solidarity and worked together since the COVID-19 outbreak by timely sharing of experiences relating to the prevention and control of the virus, mutual support in providing medical materials, and have set an example for international community to jointly fight the pandemic,” added the joint statement. Both sides emphasised that unity and cooperation are the most powerful weapon for the international community against the disease. Both sides opposed politicising the pandemic, labelling viruses; supported WHO to play a leading role in global public health governance, and called for the international community to increase the sense of a community of shared future and carry out effective joint prevention and control measures in order to mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19.