China boycotts the G20 meeting held by India in the Kashmir region

2023-05-23 09:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

India has defended its decision to host a Group of 20 (G20) meeting in the Himalayan territory of Jammu and Kashmir, despite criticism from rights groups and expected boycotts from a handful of countries.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is scheduled to host a tourism meeting for G20 members this week, in a move the Indian government has marketed as an opportunity to showcase the region's culture.

It is the first international event of this scale to be held in the disputed Muslim-majority region since India removed its special status and split the former state into two federal territories in 2019. Ladakh, which was previously part of the state, was separated and returned to another independent territory.

Ladakh is a disputed region along the Line of Actual Control, a de facto border between India and China. Both countries claim parts of it.

China said Friday it would not attend the meeting, citing its opposition "to holding any kind of G20 meeting in this territory," according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

In 2020, there was a clash between the two countries, where at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers lost their lives. Both countries have since deployed troops to the area.

Other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, were expected to boycott the event.

Kashmir is one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints. Claimed in its entirety by India and Pakistan, the mountainous region has been the epicenter for more than 70 years of an often violent territorial war between the nuclear-armed neighbors. A de facto border called the Line of Control divides it between New Delhi and Islamabad.

India said the move to lift Kashmir's semi-autonomy was to ensure the country's laws were equal for all citizens and boost economic development in the region, as well as end alleged separatism and terrorism. that it was aided and abetted by Pakistan.

On Saturday, India's tourism secretary Arvind Singh said the meeting would not only "show (Kashmir's) potential for tourism" but also "signal globally to restore stability and normalcy in the region".

In April, Pakistan, which is not a member of the G20, criticized India's decision to hold the tourism summit in Kashmir, calling it an "irresponsible" move.

Last week, Fernand de Varennes, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Affairs, said the Indian government "is seeking to normalize what some have described as a military operation by instrumentalizing a G20 meeting" in a region where fear from human rights violations and violence are widespread./ CNA.al