China defends Pakistan after Modi's 'mothership of terrorism' remark

‘Don’t link terror to any country, religion’

In a jolt to India, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Pakistan the “mother-ship of terrorism”, China on Monday strongly defended its all-weather ally, saying it was against linking any country or religion with terror and asked the world community to acknowledge Pakistan’s “great sacrifices” in the battle against terror.

The statement in Beijing, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping left India after the Brics summit in Goa, is seen as a response to Mr Modi’s strong but veiled message to China at the Brics summit, cautioning Beijing against “selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations”. The Chinese statement shows Beijing has not changed its mind despite India’s persuasion. China has major economic interests in Pakistan, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to connect China to the Pakistani port of Gwadar in Balochistan and give it direct access to the maritime area near West Asia. In a sharp reaction to a question on Mr Modi’s characterisation of Pakistan at the Brics summit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said India and Pakistan are “all victims of terrorism”. She further said Islamabad has made a “great sacrifice to combat terrorism ... and this needs to be recognised by the international community”. Answering a question on Mr Modi’s criticism of Islamabad in aiding and abetting terror groups opposed to India, she said “on counter-terrorism, China’s position is consistent”.

“It is the same way we oppose linking terrorism with any specific country or religion,” the Chinese spokesperson said. “We oppose terrorism in all forms and we believe that concerted international efforts are needed to ensure the stability and security of all countries,” she said in Beijing, adding: “We oppose linking terrorism with any specific ethnicity or religion. This is our long-standing position.”

To another question on India’s criticism that the Pakistan state apparatus continues to support anti-India terrorist groups by giving them arms, training, and financial and logistical support and helping them to cross the border to carry out attacks in India, and whether it was China’s view that the international community should not take a stand on Islamabad’s support to terrorists, Ms Hu said: “I understand your concern.”

“As per the problem between India and Pakistan, both the countries are close neighbours of China. We truly hope they can resolve these differences in a peaceful way through dialogue and consultation, so that India and Pakistan relations can develop. This serves the interest of the two countries and the region,” she said.

In the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at Brics on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi sent a veiled but firm message to Brics member China in the wake of Beijing opposing a proposed UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohmmaed terrorist Masood Azhar, saying: “Selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations will not only be futile but also counter-productive. There must be no distinction based on artificial and self-serving grounds.”

Pakistan has been claiming it is a major victim of terror in its northwestern region but has conveniently ignored its sponsorship of terror in both India and Afghanistan. The Chinese stand fits in perfectly with the Pakistani narrative.