by Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s scheduled visit to India, reportedly beginning on Thursday, comes in the backdrop of his country’s extraordinary leaning towards Pakistan in the last over three years. It comes close on the heels of his visit to Afghanistan coupled with Yi’s endorsement of the Pakistan-sponsored declaration on Kashmir at the foreign minister’s summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad.

This is also the first time a senior leader from Beijing would be visiting New Delhi after the bloody skirmishes of June 2020 on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, which claimed the life of 20 Indian soldiers. Russian media reports have put the number of Chinese fatalities at 45, even as Beijing has admitted only four. The clashes, the first of its kind on the LAC in nearly 50 years, have taken the bilateral relations between the two countries to an all-time low.

Pakistan has always hailed China as its “all time friend”. The strategic partnership between the two countries – to the remarkable advantage of Beijing’s economic interest – has been reinforced despite stories of persecution and ‘genocide’ of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

( Link https://youtu.be/k6mDncs9PhI)

Atul Aneja, China expert and Editor of India Narrative speaks on China’s aggressive position on J&K

Beijing’s sudden decision to reach out to India is widely believed to relate to the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Notwithstanding the equilibrium it has maintained, India is counted among the countries preventing the beleaguered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic isolation. China is among the very few countries that voted for Russia at the Ukraine related sessions of the United Nations.

After the border skirmishes, India has taken several measures to demonstrate its anger over the Chinese activities, including its role in subverting the Indian interests in neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. Since June 2020, India has banned nearly 300 Chinese smartphone apps.

Read the full story here:- https://theprobe.in/from-azhar-to-oic-summit-how-long-will-china-back-pakistan-on-kashmir/