They Have No Locus Standi: MEA on China’s Kashmir, Art 370 Comment

The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry had called India’s action to change status quo in Kashmir “illegal”.

The shutdown in Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 crippled the Valley’s economy. Image used for representation.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Wednesday, 5 August, slammed China for its comment that the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 was "illegal and invalid."

Advising China to not speak on the "internal affairs of other countries," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that China has "no locus standi on the matter."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had said in Beijing earlier that India's unilateral decision to change status quo in Kashmir was illegal and invalid.

"Any unilateral change to the status quo is illegal and invalid. This issue should be properly resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation between the parties concerned," Wenbin had said at a press briefing on 5 August.

"We have noted the comments of the Chinese MFA spokesperson on the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side has no locus standi whatsoever on this matter and is advised not to comment on the internal affairs of other nations," said Srivastava, reacting to the comments.

On 5 August last year, the Indian government had abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir, and thereafter, turned the erstwhile state into a Union territory.

China's comments on Kashmir come amidst high tensions along the Sino-India border that reached a climax during clashes between troops of both countries at Ladakh's Galwan Valley on 15 June, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

(With inputs from PTI)