Operation Sindoor: China says military operation ‘regrettable’, calls for restraint from India and Pakistan

Operation Sindoor: China's Foreign Ministry has urged “restraint” from India and Pakistan in the “larger interest of peace and stability” in the neighbourhood following Operation Sindoor on May 7, PTI reported.

Indian armed forces early today carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.

‘Both China’s nighbours… urge peace and stability'

“We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They are both China’s neighbours as well,” the statement said, and added an apparent reference to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, saying: “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. China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable,” the statement added.

China-Pakistan diplomatic ties stepped up

Over the past few days, diplomatic ties between Pakistan and longtime “iron-clad” ally China has been “stepped up”, the PTI report added. 

Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called China's top diplomat Wang Yi over phone and briefed him on April 27. Besides this, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.

Notably, China while condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack, also called for restraint, besides a fair and swift investigation.

China on Pahalgam: ‘Combating terrorism, impartial investigation…’

In his talks with Dar, Wang stated 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.

China-Russia Talks Soon

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to leave for Russia today on a four-day visit. He will participate in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union in World War II.

Xi Jinping is also due to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he shares a close personal friendship, the report added. 

(With inputs from PTI)