China-Pakistan joint statement was issued at the end of Pakistan PM Shebaz Sharif’s two-day visit to Beijing

India has rejected the China-Pakistan joint statement issued at the end of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing, stating it contains “several unwarranted references” about Jammu and Kashmir and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“We have noted that the “Joint Statement” released following the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to China contains several unwarranted references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. It also mentions projects under the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its extension to third countries,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to media queries.

On the China-Pakistan joint statement’s reference over Kashmir, the MEA Spokesperson said, “We have consistently rejected such statements and all parties concerned are aware of our clear position on these matters. The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India. No other country has a locus standi to comment on the same.”

On China and Pakistan inviting third countries to invest in CPEC, Arindam Bagchi said, “As regards the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, we have consistently conveyed our protest and our concerns to China and Pakistan. CPEC includes projects on the sovereign territory of India under forcible and illegal external occupation. We resolutely reject any attempts to utilize such projects to change the status quo in this area. Any attempts to involve third parties in such activities are inherently illegal, illegitimate and unacceptable and will be treated as such by us."