India, Pakistan should resolve Kashmir issue through bilateral dialogue: China

Days after US President Donald Trump's false mediation claim, China on Friday said that India and Pakistan should peacefully resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue. Addressin a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China will support the international community, including the US, in playing a "constructive role" to help India and Pakistan improve their ties.

"As a neighbour to both Pakistan and India, China sincerely hopes that Pakistan and India can live in harmony. We hope the two countries can peacefully settle the Kashmir issue and other bilateral disputes through dialogue, and make concerted efforts to safeguard peace and stability in South Asia," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry came days after US President Donald Trump, during a joint press conferece with Pakistani PM Imran Khan, falsely claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested him to mediate on the Kashmir issue.

"I was with Prime Minister Modi, 2 weeks ago and we talked about this subject and he actually said would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator. I said where? He said Kashmir. Because this has been going on for many many years...They (India) would like to see it resolved, you (Imran Khan) would like to see it resolved. If could help, I would love to be a mediator," Trump had said on Monday.

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India had denied Trump's claim and said PM Modi made no such request and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has refuted that Prime Minister Modi ever made the request to Trump.

"I would like to categorically assure the House that no such request has been made by the Prime Minister to the US President. I repeat, no such request was made by the Prime Minister to the US President," he said in a statement to Parliament.

After Trump's remarks, the US State Department, in a damage control effort, later said it considered Kashmir a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and was ready to help only if the two countries wanted.