The Chinese foreign ministry quoted Mr Wang as having said at the meeting: “We should share the responsibility of safety and security and lay a solid foundation for security.
New Delhi:China on Wednesday failed to mention the horrific Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April this year in its readout on the just-concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting at the Chinese port city of Tianjin where it was the host. While mentioning that “three forces” (terrorism, extremism and separatism) in the region “continue to cause chaos, new threats and challenges emerge one after another, and that the security situation remains complex and severe, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi acknowledged that the nine-member nation SCO “needs to respond effectively”. He, however, only mentioned that “China is deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East and that the use of force to infringe on Iran's sovereignty and security is a clear violation of international law”, while adding that “being friendly and good neighbors should be the common practice of member states”.
The omission is glaring considering that the United Nations Security Council itself -- of which China is a permanent member -- had in April this year condemned the terror attack and had demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. India had launched Operation Sindoor in May to hit terror targets in Pakistan, that was followed by a short military confrontation between India and Pakistan, both of whom are SCO member-nations. But there was radio silence from Beijing on the matter in its readout, probably because China has been a long-term benefactor to Pakistan and its “iron brother and all-weather friend”.
Lambasting fellow SCO member-nation Pakistan without mentioning it at the SCO meeting on Tuesday, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had raised the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April and had said it “was deliberately conducted to undermine the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir, while sowing a religious divide”. Justifying Operation Sindoor that was launched in May, he had said India had “done exactly” what the UN Security Council had mandated to bring those responsible to justice and had added that India “will continue doing so”. The EAM had also said it is “imperative that the SCO remain true to its founding objectives and take an uncompromising position on this challenge” while pointing out that the “three evils that SCO was founded to combat were terrorism, separatism and extremism that often occur together”. The SCO meeting was attended, among others, by host Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar.
The Chinese foreign ministry quoted Mr Wang as having said at the meeting: “We should share the responsibility of safety and security and lay a solid foundation for security. The ‘three forces’ in the region continue to cause chaos, new threats and challenges emerge one after another, and the security situation remains complex and severe. The SCO needs to respond effectively. China is deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East. The use of force to infringe on Iran's sovereignty and security is a clear violation of international law and an impact on the international nuclear non-proliferation system.”
Mr Wang added: “Be friendly and good neighbours and build a beautiful home together. The surrounding areas are the place where countries live and work, and the foundation for development and prosperity. Relatives wish each other well, and neighbours wish each other well. To achieve good neighbourliness is to help oneself. Being friendly and good neighbors should be the common practice of member states.”
