BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday said that China and Pakistan are traditional friendly neighbours, and defence and security cooperation is part of the normal cooperation between the two countries and is not directed against any third party.
India and Pakistan are neighbours that cannot be moved away, and they are also important neighbours of China, the spokesperson said during her regular briefing held here.
Mao Ning said that for some time, China has been closely following the development of the situation between India and Pakistan, actively promoting peace and dialogue, and maintaining regional peace and stability.
“We welcome and support India and Pakistan in properly handling differences through dialogue and consultation and seeking fundamental solutions,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson said that China is also willing to continue to play a constructive role in this regard.
About China-India relations, Mao Ning said that ties between the two countries are at a critical stage of improvement and development.
“We are willing to work with India to push China-India relations forward along a healthy and stable track,” she added.
In response to a question about whether China supported Pakistan during India and Pakistan’s recent military conflict, the spokesperson said that different people may have different judgments and interpretations.
“But what I told you is the policy of the Chinese government, that is, China-Pakistan relations are not directed against any third party,” she added.
“As for India-Pakistan relations, we support both sides to properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly maintain regional peace and stability,” she said.
Earlier, deputy chief of India’s army Lieutenant General Rahul Singh alleged that Beijing provided “all possible support” to Islamabad during the recent conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict.
In May, India and Pakistan engaged in conflict using missiles, drones, and artillery fire during the four-day fighting, their worst in decades, triggered by an attack in April on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without providing any evidence.
Pakistan has condemned the attack and denied any involvement in the incident. Pakistan has repeatedly offered a neutral and transparent international investigation into the incident; however, India failed to respond to Pakistan’s offer and continued with its aggressive posture.
Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, Prof Cheng Xizhong, on Monday also rejected the Indian military officer’s claim that China provided support to Pakistan.
Terming it completely nonsense, Prof Xizhong said in a statement that China and Pakistan are traditional friendly neighbours. Defence and security cooperation is part of the normal cooperation between the two countries and has never been directed against any third party.
He said that China has always adhered to an objective and impartial stance on the India-Pakistan clash, committed to promoting peace talks, and safeguarding regional peace and stability. Its specific approaches are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
