Chinese side has no locus standi: India rejects Beijing’s remarks on Kashmir
New Delhi, Aug 05: India on Wednesday slammed China for describing the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 as "illegal and invalid", and advised Beijing not to comment on the internal affairs of other nations.
In a sharp reaction to China's comments on the first anniversary of India's decision on J and K, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said China has no locus standi on the matter.
''We have noted the comments of the Chinese MFA spokesperson on the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side has no locus standi whatsoever on this matter and is advised not to comment on the internal affairs of other nations,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
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Earlier, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in Beijing that any unilateral change to the status quo of Jammu and Kashmir is illegal and invalid.
On August 5 last year, India announced its decision to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories. China has been critical of India's reorganisation of J&K, and has particularly criticised New Delhi for making Ladakh a union territory. China lays claim over several parts of Ladakh. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China's position on the Kashmir issue is "consistent and clear".
"First,
the
Kashmir
issue
is
a
dispute
left
over
from
history
between
Pakistan
and
India,
which
is
an
objective
fact
established
by
the
UN
Charter,
relevant
Security
Council
resolutions
and
bilateral
agreements
between
Pakistan
and
India,"
he
said.
"Second,
any
unilateral
change
to
the
status
quo
in
the
Kashmir
region
is
illegal
and
invalid.
Third,
the
Kashmir
region
issue
should
be
properly
and
peacefully
resolved
through
dialogue
and
consultation
between
the
parties
concerned,"
Wang
said.
China
has
always
been
siding
with
its
all-weather
ally
Pakistan
on
the
Kashmir
issue.
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The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said peaceful coexistence serves the fundamental interests of both India and Pakistan, and the common aspiration of the international community. Following India's decision, China had made multiple attempts to raise the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council. However, these attempts were rejected by other member nations of the global body.
"Pakistan and India are neighbours that cannot be moved away. Harmony between the two countries serves the fundamental interests of both sides and the common aspiration of the international community," Wang said. The Chinese spokesperson made the comments following a question by a Pakistani correspondent on the completion of one-year of the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. The comments by the spokesman came amid the border face-off between India and China in eastern Ladakh.