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After US President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that Washington stopped a potential war between India and Pakistan, China has now claimed that it mediated tensions between the two countries following their military clashes earlier this year.
Speaking on Tuesday (local time) at the Symposium on the International Situation and China's Foreign Relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing had played a mediating role in several global conflicts, including the India-Pakistan standoff, the Chinese Foreign Ministry shared a statement on X. "To build peace that lasts, we have taken an objective and just stance, and focused on addressing both symptoms and root causes. Following this Chinese approach to settling hotspot issues, we mediated in northern Myanmar, the Iranian nuclear issue, the tensions between Pakistan and India, the issues between Palestine and Israel, and the recent conflict between Cambodia and Thailand," Wang said. Wang's remarks come months after India and Pakistan were locked in a brief but intense military confrontation in May, triggered by a terror attack in the Pahalgam valley of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which took 26 innocent lives. India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India has consistently dismissed claims of any third-party mediation, maintaining that the four-day confrontation was resolved through direct military-to-military communication. New Delhi has maintained that, inflicted by this heavy damage, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called the Indian DGMO and both sides agreed to stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from May 10. China's claim has renewed focus on its role during the crisis, especially given its close defence ties with Pakistan. China is Pakistan's largest arms supplier. In November, a report published by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission accused China of orchestrating a disinformation campaign in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. The advisory body to the US Congress said Beijing used fake social media accounts to circulate AI-generated images of fabricated aircraft debris, allegedly aimed at undermining sales of French Rafale fighter jets while promoting its own J-35 aircraft. On the diplomatic front, Beijing had called for restraint on the first day of Operation Sindoor, even as it expressed regret over India's strikes. "China finds India's military operation early this morning regrettable. We are concerned about the ongoing situation," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on May 7. (ANI)
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