–India says it doesn’t interfere in internal matters of other countries, wants China to reciprocate gesture
BEIJING: India’s move to abolish the decades-long autonomy of Kashmir has drawn strong reaction from its neighbors, with China accusing New Delhi of undermining its territorial sovereignty and Pakistan’s army vowing to go to “any extent” to stand by the people of the disputed territory.
China’s strongly-worded statement was most critical of the impact of India’s actions on the mainly Buddhist region of Ladakh — an area of strategic importance nestled between Tibet and Pakistan.
Just two years after India and China’s decades-long dispute flared up over a remote area of the Himalayas, and six months after the most serious military escalation between India and Pakistan in decades, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise move on Kashmir has inflamed tensions yet again.
Beijing has always opposed India’s inclusion of Chinese territory in the western section of the China-India border, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying said in a statement Tuesday.
“The recent unilateral revision of domestic laws by the Indian side continues to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty, which is unacceptable and will not have any effect,” Hua said.
INDIA SAYS IT’S INTERNAL MATTER:
India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said on Tuesday that the creation of a new union territory of Ladakh was an internal matter. “So far as the India-China Boundary Question is concerned, the two sides have agreed to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement,” Kumar said in a statement. “India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise.”
The Indian government said Ladakh’s new designation as a “union territory” was “an internal matter concerning the territory of India”.
“India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
He added that both sides had committed to maintaining “peace and tranquility in the border areas”.
