China reaffirms support for Pak on Kashmir issue

China has reaffirmed its support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue and said that it opposed any unilateral actions that could complicate the regional situation, according to a joint statement.

The statement was issued on Sunday after the conclusion of Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi's two-day visit to Pakistan where he held talks with Prime Minister Imran Khan, his counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, President Arif Alvi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, reports The Express Tribune.

"The Chinese side reaffirmed its support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and national dignity, in choosing its development path in light of its national conditions, in working for a better external security environment, and in playing a more constructive role in regional and international issues," the statement said

The visiting delegation said that China was also paying close attention to the current situation in Kashmir and reiterated that the issue was a "dispute left from history", and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

The two sides also underlined that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous South Asia was in the common interest of all parties and they need to settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and equality, The News International quoted the statement as saying.

Before the joint statement was issued, Khan during his meeting with Wang earlier on Sunday briefed the Chinese side on the situation in Kashmir after India's August 5 move to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status.IANS