China has offered to discuss with India its recent move at the UN blocking action against the alleged Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi. This marks a subtle shift in position, which could deepen the counter-terror dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing.
“We need to have further discussion and conversation so that we can have better understanding and can work closely on it. We are ready to do that. We have a mechanism of counter-terrorism consultation between the two ministries in which it can be discussed,” said Huang Xiliang, Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
In a conversation with Indian journalists on Wednesday, he added, “Both India and China are victims of terrorism. We have similar positions on this. We are working quite well in this field. .” However, he stressed that specific issues, raised in multilateral forums required further discussions.
Mr. Huang pointed out that India and China shared similar positions in-principle on terrorism at the U.N. “On specific issues... we need to stay (in) close communication for better understanding and close cooperation,” he added.
The Sino-Indian meeting under the counter-terrorism mechanism is expected later this year.
India had earlier approached the U.N. Sanctions Committee and had requested a clarification from Pakistan about Lakhvi’s release. India's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Asoke Mukherjee had written to Jim Mclay current Chair of the U.N. Sanctions Committee, citing Lakhvi’s release by a Pakistani court as a violation of UN resolution 1267. China, which has special ties with Pakistan, had blocked the move, citing lack of information from the Indian side on this issue.
Earlier, China had imposed a technical hold on India's demand that the U.N. Security Council take action against Hizb-ul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed.
