India has justifiably rejected Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s “uncalled” reference to Jammu and Kashmir during his speech at the opening ceremony of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Wang arrived in India on March 24 in a move that signals a thaw in the strained Sino-Indian relations.
Reports in the Pakistan media had quoted the Chinese foreign minister as saying at the OIC that Beijing “heard the call of many Islamic friends” over the Kashmir issue and that it shares “the same aspiration”. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who also addressed the OIC gathering, had said, “We [OIC] have failed both the Palestinians and the people of Kashmir. I am sad to say that we have been able to make no impact at all.”
The obvious purpose of the comments made by the Chinese foreign minister and the Pakistani premier appeared to internationalize the Kashmir issue. India understandably took umbrage at Wang’s statement, with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi categorically stating that the reference to India by the Chinese Foreign Minister was not acceptable.
He made it abundantly clear that matters related to the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir were entirely the internal affairs of India and any other country, including China, had no locus standi to comment on the issue. India, as a matter of policy, has refrained from public judgement of their internal issues.
Coming in the immediate wake of the OIC meet, Wang’s India visit is being seen as significant. It is the highest-level visit from a Chinese dignitary since the deadly clash between the armies of the two countries in 2020 in Eastern Ladakh. Nearly 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers (around 40 as per other reports) were killed in the clash. India has since restricted many Chinese firms from operating in the country.
Wang Yi’s meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar are significant considering that Indian and Chinese military have been in confrontation mode since May 2020, when PLA troops poured through the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and advanced their patrolling positions in eastern Ladakh. It began with clashes in the Galwan valley and other areas, which led to a military stand-off that is still going on.
China has been trying to ensure that its relations with India remain on an even keel and will do its best to keep the stand-off between the two armies on the backburner. However, New Delhi has always insisted that the eastern Ladakh stand-off, which had already taken the lives of at least two dozen soldiers, had to be resolved before the relationship between the two countries could be normalized. The final outcome of Wang’s visit would be interesting to watch as it is bound to have a long-term impact on the relations between the two countries.
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