Day after media report, Beijing says no shift in Kashmir policy

The Chinese government on Wednesday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) does not affect Beijing’s stance on the Kashmir issue and it was up to New Delhi and Islamabad to settle it through dialogue and negotiation.

Beijing, however, was willing to make “constructive efforts” to improve relations between the two countries, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“China’s position on the issue of Kashmir is clear and consistent. It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation,” it said.

The statement comes in the wake of a state media article that indicated that China was getting ready to mediate on the Kashmir issue to protect its increasing financial investment in the CPEC, a cluster of energy and infrastructure projects and road networks connecting China’s Kashgar in northwest Xinjiang to Pakistan’s Gwadar port city. “Given the massive investment that China has made in countries along the One Belt, One Road, China now has a vested interest in helping resolve regional conflicts including the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan,” the article in Global Times said.

But the Chinese foreign ministry sought to sidestep the article in the tabloid affiliated to the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China.

“The building of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor does not affect China’s position on this issue,” the statement said.

BEIJING , HOWEVER, WAS WILLING TO MAKE ‘CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORTS’ TO IMPROVE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES