No Discussion On Art 370 With JINPING

India Thursday yet again reiterated that there will be no discussion on Article 370 with Chinese President Xi Jinping who is scheduled to arrive in Chennai tomorrow for the second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
MEA sources maintained that India had not done anything to strain the relationship with China and reiterated that the changes to Article 370 were an internal matter. Asked if this would come up in the talks with China, sources said that if Xi required more explanation on why the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was necessary, that would be provided to him.
Earlier on Wednesday MEA spokesperson had stated that it was not for other countries to comment on India’s internal affairs after Beijing said it was watching the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
What rankled India was that the reference to China “paying close attention to the current situation in J&K” was mentioned in the Pakistan-China joint media release issued after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meeting with Xi in Beijing. It came hours after New Delhi and Beijing simultaneously announced the dates for the informal summit beginning in Mahabalipuram on Friday.
As per the statement, posted on the Chinese foreign ministry website, China responded to Pakistan’s concerns on Jammu and Kashmir with a reiteration of Beijing’s stated position that the “Kashmir issue is a dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.”
The joint statement also said that China opposed any unilateral actions that complicate the situation. “The two sides (Pakistan and China) underlined that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous South Asia was in common interest of all parties. Parties need to settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect.”
Reacting to this, foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar had said, “India’s position has been consistent and clear that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. China is well aware of our position. It is not for other countries to comment on the internal affairs of India.”