China calls for ‘restraint’ after India’s air strikes on terror camp in Pakistan

New Delhi should have avoided unilateral action, and instead dealt with the situation through “international cooperation,” says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang. File

China on Tuesday responded cautiously to Indian Air Force's air strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) — criticising New Delhi for taking unilateral action but urging both India and Pakistan to improve their ties.

Asked to comment on India targeting terrorist camps and not Pakistani military sites, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said New Delhi should have avoided unilateral action, and instead dealt with the situation through “international cooperation”.

“As for India’s claims on taking action against terrorism, fighting terrorism is a global practice. It needs to be dealt with international cooperation. And India needs to create a favourable condition internationally for that,” Mr. Lu said.

India’s pre-dawn air raids follow a

suicide car bombing in Pulwama on February 14 , which killed more than 40 CRPF jawans. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a United Nations-designated terror group based in Pakistan, posted a video claiming responsibility for the attack.

China has repeatedly placed a “technical hold” on designating JeM head Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the 1267 committee of the UN Security Council, as demanded by India and other permanent members of the UNSC.

“Sound relationship”

Mr. Lu said the onus is on both New Delhi and Islamabad to cultivate a “sound relationship”. “We have taken note of relevant reports. I want to say that India and Pakistan are important countries. A sound relationship and cooperation serves the interests of peace and stability in South Asia. Both parties [should] remain restrained and do more to improve bilateral relations.”

Xinhua reported that on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi called upon India and Pakistan to ease tensions arising from the Pulwama attack “through dialogue as soon as possible and avoid an escalation of the situation”.

He urged both sides to collaborate on fighting terrorism and jointly safeguard the security and stability of South Asia. The Chinese Minister advocated a bilateral engagement between India and Pakistan during a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Wang-Sushma meeting

China is expected to further elaborate on its stance on Wednesday, when Mr. Wang meets External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the foreign ministerial meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) in Wuzhen, East China.

The Wuzhen talks will mark the first high-level dialogue between India and China after the Pulwama attack.

Russia, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is also expected to weigh in on the post-Pulwama situation between India and Pakistan — both recent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), founded by Beijing and Moscow, as well as established nuclear powers.