China on Tuesday said it has not changed it position on India’s request for support for a United Nations motion to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. China has blocked the resolution several times since last year.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Beijing will decide on the matter based on its merits. “China always takes an active part in the international counter-terrorism cooperation, and meanwhile we will base our decisions on the merits of each case,” Hua said at a press conference. “We would like to strengthen counter-terrorism and security cooperation with India and jointly safeguard regional peace and security.”
Azhar is accused of having carried out several terror attacks in India, including the one on an Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016, where 17 members of the security forces were killed.
In September, Beijing had claimed there was a lack of consensus on the matter of listing Azhar as a global terrorist. “If all parties come to a consensus, we will support it,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. “But it is the parties that are rightly concerned who are not coming around to the same conclusion, like India and Pakistan don’t have the same conclusions.” Wang also claimed there was not enough evidence to designate Azhar a terrorist.
Asked about India’s request to China not to shelter United Liberation Front of Assam leader Paresh Baruah, Hua said on Tuesday that Beijing does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. “This position has not changed and will not change,” she added.
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