China opposes G-20 meeting in India-ruled Kashmir and will skip it
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China is firmly opposed to holding any kind of G-20 meetings in disputed territory.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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NEW DELHI/BEIJING – China said on Friday that it is opposed to a Group of 20 (G-20) tourism meeting to be held from Monday to Wednesday in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir in India and will not attend.
India, which holds the chair of the G-20 in 2023, has organised a series of meetings across the country in the run-up to the summit in New Delhi in September.
“China is firmly opposed to holding any kind of G-20 meetings in disputed territory, and will not attend such meetings,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
In 2019, India split the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir to create the two federal territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. A large chunk of Ladakh is under Chinese control.
Ties between New Delhi and Beijing have been strained since a military clash in Ladakh in 2020 in which 24 soldiers were killed.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, will host a meeting of the tourism working group for G-20 members from Monday to Wednesday.
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by nuclear-armed neighbours India and China’s ally Pakistan, which has also opposed India’s decision to hold a G-20 meeting in Kashmir.
India has countered the objection, saying it is free to hold meetings on its own territory. It added on Friday that peace and tranquillity on its border are essential for normal ties with China. REUTERS
