Article 370 aftermath: China expresses 'deep concerns' over ongoing situation in J-K

China on Friday expressed serious concerns over the ongoing situation following the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. The response came in the bilateral meeting between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The Chinese foreign ministry urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and resolve the issue. Qureshi said that China supported Pakistan’s decision to approach the United Nations over the Kashmir issue and Beijing would cooperate with Islamabad in this regard, reported ANI. 

India, on the other hand, made it clear that amendments made in its constitution is a sovereign matter. “Seeking to interfere in that jurisdiction by invoking an alarmist vision of the region will never succeed”, a statement issued by MEA reads.

As per Radio Pakistan's report, Chinese foreign minister told Qureshi that the Kashmir issue should be solved as per United Nation security council resolutions. 

"The recent developments pertaining to Article 370 are entirely the internal affair of India.  The Constitution of India was, is and will always be a sovereign matter", MEA added. 

Earlier, India asked Pakistan to review its decision to downgrade diplomatic ties after its decisions on Kashmir. This comes a day after Pakistan expelled the Indian envoy and suspended bilateral trade. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement said, “we have seen reports that Pakistan has decided to take certain unilateral actions in respect to its bilateral relations with India. This includes the downgrading of our diplomatic relations. The Government of India regrets the steps announced by Pakistan yesterday and would urge that country to review them so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved.” 

Moreover, China earlier said that India should avoid actions that “unilaterally” change the status quo and exacerbate tensions between them as it voiced “serious concern” over the situation in Kashmir. China also expressed its opposition to India’s move to create a separate Union Territory of Ladakh.

Earlier, India scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir a significant autonomy. The central government also divided the state in two Union Territories (UTs) - Jammu and Kashmir with its own legislature and Ladakh with legislature.