China rubbishes reports of Xi snubbing Sharif

Says the two leaders met several times at SCO summit, mum on bilateral meeting

China on Monday rejected as “nonsense” reports that President Xi Jinping snubbed Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif by not meeting him at the SCO summit following the killing of two Chinese nationals in Balochistan and said the two leaders met “several times” during the meet.

“I can tell you that during the seventeenth SCO heads of state meeting,

Reports said Xi apparently did not meet Sharif as there was disappointment among the public over the slaying of the two Chinese citizens kidnapped last month from Quetta, Balochistan

President Xi met with Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif several times,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said but did not say whether the two leaders had a bilateral meeting.

“Some reports are just nonsense and unwanted. China and Pakistan enjoy an all-weather strategic partnership,” he said.

Pakistan’s state-run APP news agency reported on June 10 that Mr Sharif returned from the Kazakh capital Astana last week after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on the sidelines of which he met Presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Russia.

Conspicuously absent was a usually customary meeting between Mr Sharif and Mr Xi.

China’s official media also highlighted Mr Xi’s meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kazakhstan counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Chinese foreign ministry website has photographs of Mr Xi’s bilateral meetings with other SCO leaders, including Mr Modi but not with Mr Sharif.

Mr Xi apparently did not meet Mr Sharif as there was disappointment among the public over the slaying of two Chinese citizens kidnapped last month from Quetta in Balochistan. The two, both teachers, were murdered reportedly by ISIS militants.