China says Kashmir issue should be resolved peacefully

UN Security Council members believe India and Pakistan should refrain from taking unilateral action over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, China's UN envoy said on Friday after the council met on the issue for the first time in decades.

While the council did not agree on a statement, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun summed up the discussions at the closed-door meeting, describing serious concern over the situation.

He said the Kashmir issue "should be resolved properly though peaceful means in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements." "This represents the consensus of the international community," he said.

On Aug 5, India issued a presidential decree that revoked Article 370 of India's constitution that grants special status and allows the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws.

The government removed the region's limited autonomy, which has been in place since the 1940s, and cut the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

The Indian government also imposed an unprecedented security lockdown and a near-total communications blackout in the region, arresting more than 500 people.

The move has reportedly worsened the already-heightened tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint.

During the closed-door meeting, council members listened to briefings by the UN Secretariat on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the work of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.

After the meeting, Zhang spoke to the media about China's position on Kashmir.

Zhang said the issue of Kashmir is left from the history between India and Pakistan. "According to relevant Security Council resolutions, the status of Kashmir is undecided and it is an internationally-recognized disputed area," he emphasized.

Zhang said the constitutional amendment by India has changed the status quo in Kashmir, causing tension in the region.

"China is deeply concerned about the current situation and opposes any unilateral action that complicates the situation," he said. "We call upon the relevant parties to exercise restraint, act prudently, and in particular, not take actions that will aggravate tensions."

He said India's move has also challenged China's sovereignty and violated a bilateral agreement on maintaining peace and stability in the border area.

"I wish to emphasize that such practice by India is not valid in relation to China and will not change China's exercise of sovereignty and effective administrative jurisdiction over the territory," he reiterated.

He said both India and Pakistan are China's friendly neighbors.

As both countries are at a crucial period of development, he said that they should find a proper solution to their historical grievances, discard a zero-sum game mentality, avoid unilateral action, and settle disputes peacefully to jointly maintain peace and stability in the region.

According to the news agency Xinhua, Indian and Pakistani troops recently shelled each other several times near the Line of Actual Control in Kashmir. The latest cross-border firing happened on Thursday, India's 73rd Independence Day, and troops on both sides claimed casualties on each other's side.