China has expressed “willingness” to work with both India and Pakistan in the fight against terror, the Press Trust of India reported on its website.
“[The] Chinese side is willing to stay in communication with India, Pakistan, as well as other countries, in the fight against terrorism,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday.
“Counter-terrorism cooperation is also part and parcel of China-Pakistan strategic cooperative partnership. The two sides are in sound cooperation in this regard,” she said referring to Pakistan military crackdown on East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) militants who carried out violent attacks in China’s Xinjiang province bordering Azad Kashmir.
Replying to a question about India’s concerns over terrorism, Hua said: “We believe the fight against terrorism in all forms will be conducive to peace, stability and security of each and every country as well as security and stability of the whole region.”
During his last month’s visit to Beijing, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that there were a “small number” of them [militants] in tribal areas. “They are all gone or eliminated. There are no more there,” he had said. The minister also denied any differences between Pakistan and China in addressing the problem.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2015.
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