India on Monday, told China to be sensitive to its concerns regarding the blacklisting of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale met Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi in China.
Gokhale is on a two-day visit to meet Wang, also China’s Foreign Minister. He is expected to convince Beijing not to block a resolution to declare Azhar an international terrorist at the UN panel.
Azhar’s terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had earlier claimed responsibility for carrying out a suicide bombing attack in J&K’s Pulwama on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.
Considered a close ally to Pakistan, China has repeatedly blocked all such resolutions by placing a ‘technical hold’ on them at the UN 1267 sanctions committee. After the Pulwama attack, U.S, U.K and Britain had vociferously wanted the sanction to be passed.
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Beijing’s placed its latest hold last month, a move that India called “disappointing”.
“We will work together with the Chinese side to deepen mutual understanding, strengthen mutual trust to implements the decisions that are taken by the leaders and do it in a manner where we are sensitive to each other’s concerns,” Gokhale said while meeting Wang and Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou.
file imageHe also added, “It’s been a year since our leaders met in Wuhan and my colleagues, Vice (Foreign) Minister Kong Xuanyou and I have been following up on efforts to see that to implement the understandings that were reached at the meeting. Last year, we had very brisk political exchanges including your visit to Delhi for the first high-level meeting between for people to people exchange was an important development. And my Minister (Foreign) looks forward to coming for the second meeting in China later this year.”
The Chinese side stressed the need for India and China to step up strategic communication and cooperation. “China and India are two major countries and neighbours. They are also two emerging market countries and are each other’s emerging partners. In this sense, it’s very important for the two countries to work together to increase strategic communications even the geopolitical trust and strategic cooperation on international and regional issues.”
Beijing is right now facing humongous international pressure to declare Azhar an international terrorist and to support the move.
The Indian foreign secretary’s visit to Beijing comes ahead of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). India will skip this for the second time in a row, owing to concerns over territorial sovereignty related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
India opposes the CPEC, as it cuts through the disputed part of Kashmir held by Islamabad.