China calls on India, Pakistan to exercise restraint

We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation, China's Foreign Ministry said

Beijing: China on Wednesday called on India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint in the “larger interest of peace and stability” in the region.

The statement by China’s Foreign Ministry came as Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.

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“We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They are both China’s neighbours as well,” the statement said.

“China opposes all forms of terrorism,” it added, in an apparent reference to the Pahalgam terrorist attack. “We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation,” it said.

“China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable,” the statement added.

Since the Pahalgam terrorist attack, China, Pakistan’s “ironclad ally”, while condemning it, has called for restraint, besides a fair and swift investigation into the attack. The two countries also stepped up diplomatic contacts during the past few days.

While, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called China’s top diplomat Wang Yi over phone and briefed him on April 27, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.

In his talks with Dar, Wang stated that China is closely following the developments. He said that combating terrorism is a shared responsibility of the whole world, and China supports an impartial investigation as soon as possible, as the conflict does not serve the fundamental interests of either India or Pakistan, nor does it contribute to regional peace and stability.

“As an ironclad friend and an all-weather strategic cooperative partner, China fully understands Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests”, Wang said.

The escalation following the Pahalgam terrorist attack came as Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to leave for Russia on a four-day visit on Wednesday to take part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union in World War II. Xi is also due to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he shares a close personal friendship.