India rejects China-Pakistan joint statement on Kashmir, pans economic corridor too

New Delhi, Aug 10: India on Tuesday rejected the joint reference to Kashmir and protested against the "so-called China Pakistan Economic Corridor" running through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

"We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of the Chinese foreign minister. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

"On the other hand, India has consistently expressed concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947," he said.

Kumar said the parties concerned should cease such actions.

Kumar also talked about the China-Pakistan economic corridor in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, asserting that India is "resolutely opposed" to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a two-day visit to Pakistan, had described the relationship between the two countries as "rock-solid and unbreakable".

China did, at Islamabad's instance, call for a closed-door meeting at the United Nations Security Council in the wake of India's decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. But that initiative didn't get far due to overwhelming support for India's stand.