‘Totally Out of Goodwill’: China on Raising Kashmir Issue in UNSC

China insisted that the UNSC picked up the issue at Pak’s request and that it was there to help all sides cool off.

File photo of PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

(Photo: PTI)

A spokesperson for China’s foreign affairs ministry in a press briefing on Thursday, 16 January, said that it had raised the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council on Wednesday “out of goodwill”, according to agency reports.

“It is totally out of goodwill. I think India has somehow over-interpreted our motive.”

Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry

Shuang insisted that the UNSC picked up the issue at the request of Pakistan and that China was just in it “to help all sides to cool off the situation and call on relevant parties to exercise restraint and maintain regional peace and stability.”

‘UNSC Expressed Concerns Over Kashmir, But Not Publicly’

The Chinese spokesperson also said that UNSC members “expressed concerns” over the situation in Kashmir, despite the fact that no UNSC member made a statement to this effect.

“The council members called on all parties to abide by the UN Charter and international law, work out a peaceful settlement of disputes through political dialogue, exercise restraint and promote the alleviation of tensions,” he said.

When asked about which specific UNSC members raised concerns over Kashmir, the spokesperson said that the statements weren’t made publicly.

“Indeed, the UNSC did not release any statement after the review of the Kashmir issue on Jan 15th. But as a permanent member of the UNSC, China participated the review and discussion,” said Shuang. “If you thought what we said is not the fact, you can go check with other participants,” he added.

‘We Actually Never Sought Trade Surplus With India’

Asked about India’s massive trade deficit with China, the spokesperson said that China attached importance to India's concerns about trade imbalance, “We actually have never sought trade surplus with India.”

Citing the informal meet between PM Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping, Shuang said that the two sides should look at the imbalance “from a development perspective and “work hard to find new ideas” to solve the issue.

“We hope that the two sides can work together to strengthen bilateral trade and investment cooperation and better promote the balanced development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation,” he said.

The spokesperson also addressed the need for reforming the security council, making a non-committal statement about how China will continue working with the UN member states to find solutions that will take into account the interests and concerns of all parties.

(With inputs from AP and ANI)