China is worried over the increasing power imbalance in South Asia and wants measures to be taken to strike a balance in the region.
According to a report in ‘The Nation’, a senior Chinese official Yao Wen shared his country’s concerns with a visiting media delegation from Pakistan in Beijing on Tuesday.
The report says that Chinese government is concerned over the strained relations between India and Pakistan at a time when the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is in top gear.
The Chinese government expects the tension to cool down after the security advisers of the two countries recently talked to each other on hotline.
Wen, who heads the South Asian Department at the Chinese Foreign Office, pointed out that with the completion of the CPEC project in Pakistan, the balance of power would be restored in the region.
“It will make Pakistan economically strong and even the entire region would reap its benefits,” he remarked.
Wen told the Pakistani media delegation that India’s objections on the trade route passing through the disputed territory does not carry any weight.
“We don’t think the Indian argument carries any weight. China is all set to complete the project in any case,” he was quoted as saying by The Nation.
Commenting on the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, Wen said, “We have been telling India to talk to Pakistan to resolve its disputes. China is also ready for mediation, but India has always been opposed to the idea of third-party mediation.”
Interestingly, Wen also expressed the hope that India would not go for any surgical strikes inside Pakistan after the telephonic contact between the security advisers of the two countries.
Responding to a question on whether Pakistan should stop raising Kashmir issue, Wen said that China would not advise Pakistan to set aside Kashmir issue for the time being if India was unwilling to come to the negotiation table.
“The two countries must resolve this issue through talks though it will take time to reach some amicable settlement,” he added.
