The Chinese Foreign Minister who was an invitee at the meet had on Tuesday said, “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.”

With China deliberately hurting India’s sensitivity over Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday hit Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hard for his remarks at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Pakistan.

Rejecting this “uncalled for reference to Jammu and Kashmir by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi,” MEA Spokesperson said, “Matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India. Other countries including China have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgment of their internal issues.”

It should be noted that India, while respecting China’s sensitivity, has refrained from speaking against Uighur Muslims’ repression in Xinjiang or Tibetans’ persecution in Tibet or on-going tyranny of people in Hong Kong. But China has over the years spared no effort to hurt India’s interest. A large part of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through Gilgit-Baltistan and parts of Kashmir under Pakistan’s occupation.

In February, India rejected the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a China-Pakistan joint statement, maintaining that UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh "have been, are and will” remain integral and inalienable parts of India. The joint statement was issued on February 6 after Chinese President Xi Jingping’s talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who was invited to participate in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Earlier, China rubbed salt into the wound of India when it decided to field a PLA military commander Qi Fabao who was involved in the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, as torch bearer for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Infuriated at this behaviour of China, India refused to send its top diplomat to the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

In July 2021, China hit India with hammer when it reiterated its support to Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir, stating it opposed any unilateral action which could complicate the situation.

Simmering with discontent over China’s repeated comments on issues related to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will possibly raise such matters when he holds talks with Chinese FM Wang Yi who is visiting India to thaw tension between the two countries. After the brutal Galwan Valley incident, India had made it clear that business with China would not be as usual.