Beijing, May 7 (PTI) China on Wednesday called on India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint in the "larger interest of peace and stability" of the region and said it will play a "constructive role" in easing the tensions by working with the international community.
"We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They’re both China’s neighbours as well," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here, reacting to India’s air strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.
"China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint, and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation," he said.
Lin said China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in the de-escalation of the ongoing tensions.
On the air strikes, he said, “China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable.”
Asked about India's assertion that it targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, Lin said the international community is following closely what is going on between India and Pakistan.
“China is committed to promoting talks for peace and keeping the region peaceful and stable. We also noted that both India and Pakistan said they don’t hope to see an escalation of the situation.
“We hope India and Pakistan will remain calm, exercise restraint, work in the same direction, and handle differences properly through dialogue and consultation,” he said, reiterating that China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role in easing the current tensions.
To a question on whether there is any impact on Chinese citizens in Pakistan or on Chinese airlines that fly over the region, Lin said China is closely following the developments of the situation.
“We advise Chinese nationals and institutions in relevant regions to closely watch the developments, take extra safety precautions, avoid travelling to regions involved in the conflict, and, in case of emergencies, immediately contact Chinese embassies and consulates there for help,” he said.
Lin's remarks on Wednesday made no reference to any probe into the Pahalgam attack as called for by Beijing a few days ago.
Since the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan and China have stepped up diplomatic contacts during the past few days.
On Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar “to discuss the current tense situation between Pakistan and India.”
During the meeting, Dar briefed the Chinese ambassador on India's military strikes on targets within Pakistani territory in the morning, as well as Pakistan's response, a press release posted by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said.
Jiang earlier met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.
On April 27, Dar called China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, over the phone and briefed him on the situation.
In his talks with Dar, Wang said that China is closely following the developments. He said that combating terrorism is a shared responsibility of the whole world, and China supports an impartial investigation as soon as possible, as the conflict does not serve the fundamental interests of either India or Pakistan, nor does it contribute to regional peace and stability.
As an ironclad friend and an all-weather strategic cooperative partner, China fully understands Pakistan's legitimate security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests, Wang said.
India's strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan came as Chinese President Xi Jinping was due to leave for Russia on a four-day visit on Wednesday to take part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union in World War II.
Xi is also due to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he shares a close personal friendship.