China not taking sides on Kashmir
China not taking sides on Kashmir - People's Daily Online
Chinese experts say China isn't interfering in the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan, despite a separatist leader of the India-controlled part of the region applying for a visa to visit China.
And the experts stress that China criticism of India for extending an invitation to the Dalai Lama has nothing to do with the border dispute.
"I believe China is not a party to the Kashmir conflict, but it has a stake as far as peace in the region is concerned," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of the Kashmiri separatist Hurriyat Conference, said in astatement late Friday, according to AFP.
"China has a direct link with Kashmir, as certain parts of Kashmir, including Aksai Chin, are under its control," he said, adding that he will visit China this Saturday on an invitation from a China-based non-governmental organization.
Farooq, who is chief priest at Kashmir's main mosque, also welcomed a joint statement earlier in the week by Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barak Obama, who voiced support for better India-Pakistan relations.
Farooq's secretary, Shahidul Islam, was quoted by Rediff News as saying that the leader would be applying for the visa after the Eid festival, and that "he will be highlighting the Kashmir issue during his visit to China, which is now an important player in the region."
The statement on China's role in the Kashmir dispute was the first by separatist leaders since a revolt against New Delhi broke out in 1989, and Farooq will be the first among them to visit China if his visa application is approved.
A day after his remarks, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, a senior leader of the People's Democratic Party, the main opposition, said China should not be introduced as another stakeholder in Kashmir, but it should be asked to return the territory under its control.
"We should not over-estimate China's role in Kashmir. It has no stake in Kashmir," Beigh told Rising Kashmir, a local newspaper.
Kashmir, a Himalayan region, is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both. Since their Independence from Britain in August 1947, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
According to the Hindustan Times, China occupies about 38,000 square kilometers of territory in Aksai Chin, in the northeastern corner of Jammu and Kashmir.
Beigh said China has been playing the Kashmir card over the past few months to pressure India over the Arunachal Pradesh issue.
Beijing claims that the 90,000-square-kilometer so-called Indian state belongs to China.
Wang Dehua, a scholar on South Asia studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, disputed the accusation as "groundless" and a result of misunderstanding.
"China has been advocating a resolution through peaceful dialogue between India and Pakistan," Wang said. "Remarks by Farooq were his hope that China could have a bigger role in South Asia.
"It is wrong for India to relate some of China's statements, including the mentioning of South Asia in the China-US joint statement and China's assistance on power plant constructions in Pakistan, to Beijing's so-called interference with the Kashmir issue."
Sun Shihai, an expert on the Asia Pacific region at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the role played by China in Kashmir, if any, is only in helping maintain peace and promoting reconciliation, citing the Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999 in noting that mediation efforts made by China and neighboring countries have helped prevent a large-scale war.
"India mistakenly adopts a kind of Cold War mentality, which is 'an enemy's friend is also an enemy,'" Sun said.
Farooq's expected visit to China comes after a visit this month by the Dalai Lama to the Arunachal Pradesh, drawing speculation that the move is a counter-measure by China.
Wang ruled out such speculation, saying the visits are unrelated.
"Though some people in India attempt to pressure China by inviting the Dalai, we are not that petty-minded to revenge," Wang said.
Zhao Gancheng, director of the Center for South Asia at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the Global Times Sunday that India remains highly vigilant against China, which, he said, is unnecessary.
"India should appreciate the fact that China has never sought a hand in its internal affairs," Zhao said. "It should also stay clear of China's domestic affairs, especially the Dalai Lama issue, restricting his activities in India."
The visit also comes amid rising tensions over a Chinese embassy policy of issuing different visas to Indian Kashmir residents and the so-called Arunachal Pradesh, a move resented by the Indian government.
An Indian foreign ministry spokeswoman said Friday that the government had no objection to Farooq visiting China, adding that stapled visas on passports were not acceptable to the government, the Times of India reported.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said November 3 that China's visa policy has been consistent for Kashmir residents, noting there hadn't been any change.