Ahead of Modi-Xi meet, China shifts stand on Kashmir, calls it a ‘bilateral issue’

Beijing, Oct 09: In another jolt for Pakistan, China on Tuesday modified its stand on Kashmir and asked New Delhi and Islamabad to resolve all issues 'bilaterally'. The country's foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said that both the countries are each other's neighbour and both are major developing countries.

"China's position on the issue of Kashmir is consistent and clear. We call on India, Pakistan to step up dialogue on disputes including the Kashmir issue to enhance mutual trust and improve relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang was quoted as saying.

"It serves the common interests of both India, Pakistan and represents the shared expectation of regional countries and the international community," the spokesperson further added.

The statement comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India who is expected to arrive between Xi Jinping October 11 and October 13.

"China and India are each other's important neighbour and both are major developing countries and emerging markets. Since last year's Wuhan summit between our leaders, China-India relations have been developing with a sound momentum," the envoy said.

"There is a tradition of high-level exchange between leaders of China and India. The two sides should work to create a favourable atmosphere and environment for it," he added.

This is a significant change in China's position on Kashmir who had earlier said that the "Kashmir issue should be resolved based on the UN charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreement."

However, Beijing on Tuesday indicated that it is ready to go back to its pre-August 5 positions when it said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved bilaterally.