China says Kashmir not on agenda during Xi-Modi meeting

ISLAMABAD: China on Tuesday has said that the Kashmir issue may not be a major topic of discussion during the planned second informal summit between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, notwithstanding the high voltage campaign unleashed by the free world after annexing Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and splitting it. Now the whole area is under stringent curfew for 46 days and innocent Kashmiris are subject to repression by the Indian occupying forces. The tension between Pakistan and India escalated after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5. Reacting to India's move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.

According to Indian media report a senior Chinese official said it should be left to Modi and Xi on the issues they would like to discuss. "As for Kashmir will be on the agenda, I'm not sure because this is kind of informal summit and leaders' meeting I think better we need to give the leaders much time to discuss whatever they would like to discuss," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing.

"For this kind of informal summit, I think it is better to leave the leaders much time to discuss whatever they would like to discuss," she said. Hua said Kashmir may not be a major topic of discuss between the two leaders.

China, the all-weather ally of Pakistan, already took the Kashmir issue to the UN Security Council (UNSC) last month. But a closed-door meeting of the UNSC, ended without any outcome or statement.