Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to India’s National Security Advisory (NSA) Ajit Doval and expressed hope that New Delhi and Islamabad would deal with their variations by way of dialogue and obtain a lasting ceasefire.
During their dialog, Mr. Doval instructed Mr. Wang that conflict was not India’s selection however India wanted to take counter-terrorism motion after the Pahalgam assault, state-run Xinhua information company reported in separate dispatches.
Mr. Wang additionally condemned the April 22 terror assault in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which had cross-border linkages and triggered the worst preventing between India and Pakistan in years.
Mr. Wang also spoke to Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Xinhua’s reports said.
Hostilities soared between India and Pakistan after the Indian military hit terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives.
The two nuclear-armed neighbours on May 10 reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
In his talks with Mr. Doval, Mr. Wang expressed hope that India and Pakistan would remain calm and restrained, properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, and avoid escalating the situation, according to Xinhua’s reports.
Mr. Wang said China supports and expects India and Pakistan to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire through consultation, which is in the fundamental interest of the two countries and meets the common aspiration of the international community.
He said China condemns the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and opposes all forms of terrorism.
Noting that the world is undergoing both transformation and upheaval, Wang said peace and stability in Asia are hard-won and deserve to be cherished. India and Pakistan are neighbours that cannot be moved away and they are both neighbours of China, he said.
Mr. Doval told Mr. Wang that the Pahalgam attack resulted in serious casualties for the Indian side and that India needed to take counter-terrorism actions.
War is not the choice of the Indian side and is not in the interest of either side, Mr. Doval underlined, adding that both India and Pakistan will be committed to the ceasefire and look forward to restoring regional peace and stability as soon as possible, the reports said.
In his conversation with Dar, the reports stated, Wang said that as a neighbour of both Pakistan and India, China is concerned about the conflict between the two.
He said China believes that Pakistan will make decisions in line with its fundamental and long-term interests.
Dar told Wang that Pakistan is willing to achieve a ceasefire with India but will respond to any acts that violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Noting that Pakistan stands on the frontline of the international fight against terrorism, Wang said China supports its continued firm counterterrorism efforts, the Xinhua reports said.
Before India and Pakistan agreed to the ceasefire, China on Saturday strongly urged the two countries to exercise calm and restraint, and return to the track of peaceful settlement.
China is closely following the ongoing situation between India and Pakistan, and is deeply concerned about the escalation, the Chinese foreign ministry said earlier in a statement.
“We strongly urge either side to act within the bigger curiosity of peace and stability, train calm and restraint, return to the monitor of political settlement by way of peaceable means, and chorus from any motion that would additional escalate tensions,” the statement said.
This will be important for the fundamental interest of both India and Pakistan, and for a stable and peaceful region. This is also what the international community hopes to see. China is willing to continue to play a constructive role to this end, it said.
Published – May 11, 2025 09:16 am IST
