'China will help Pakistan' defend itself

Leading Chinese academic Professor Victor Gao has said China will stand with Pakistan against any aggression and is committed at all levels to provide all kinds of assistance to defend Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Gao, the vice president of the Beijing-based think tank, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), told the Indian media that China's clear stance amid India's brinkmanship, underscored the necessity of investigating the Pahalgam false flag operation.

"Stopping any form of aggression is the need of the hour," Prof Gao remarked.