Foreign ministers of China, Pak affirm need to resolve all disputes in S Asia

BEIJING: Pakistan’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Sunday in Guangzhou city and emphasised that “it is critical to resolve all outstanding disputes” in South Asia in view of the challenges faced by the people due to the pandemic, soaring commodity prices, climate change and poverty.

This is Bilawal’s maiden visit to China after he took over as foreign minister following the fall of the

Imran Khan-led government last month.

While reaffirming their strong support for each other’s “core interests”, both sides reiterated that a peaceful and prosperous South Asia was in the common interest of all parties, said a joint statement issued at the end of their meeting held in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou as Beijing is currently under semi-lockdown to contain the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the COVID-19.

The joint statement said Bilawal has “briefed the Chinese side about the latest developments in

Jammu and Kashmir”, the reference to all “outstanding disputes” raised speculation about whether it also alluded to the border dispute between India and China, especially the current over two-year long military standoff at Eastern Ladakh.

The two sides underlined the importance of the peaceful resolution of the dispute based on the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements,” it said, apparently referring to the Kashmir issue. The two sides agreed that peace and stability in Afghanistan were vital.