Beijing: China said Wednesday that it has despatched Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to Islamabad to discuss the Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terrorist attack.
“He (Kong) is now visiting Pakistan. He is in communication with Pakistan on the India-Pakistan situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing here.
“His visit is designed for communication with Pakistan for the situation concerning both India and Pakistan. China has been promoting peace and stability in this region. We hope that Pakistan and India will maintain friendly relations,” Lu added.
Hours after India’s Balakot airstrike, China, which has good diplomatic ties with Islamabad, urged India and Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ and asked New Delhi to carry out its fight against terrorism through international cooperation.
“We have taken note of the relevant reports. I want to say that India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia. A sound relationship and cooperation between the two serves the interests of both the countries and peace and stability in South Asia,” Lu pointed out.
The Chinese spokesperson asserted Pakistan has been making efforts to combat terrorism. “In fact, Pakistan has been making efforts and exercised policies to combat terrorism. We think we should encourage this. We also hope relevant parties will create an enabling atmosphere to help Pakistan to cooperate with other parties to form synergy,” Lu stated.
To a question on whether Kong would visit India too, Lu stated, “China is in contact with India and Pakistan concerning the current circumstances.”
PTI
