DM Monitoring
BEIJING: China does not recognize the Ladakh Union Territory, illegally set up by India and the Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Zhao Likjian said on Tuesday.
“First, I want to make it clear that China does not recognise the Ladakh Union Territory, illegally set up by the Indian side and the Arunachal Pradesh,” he said during his regular briefing.
“We stand against the development of infrastructure facilities, aimed at military contention along the border area, ” he added. He said that based on the two sides consensus, neither should take actions along the border that might escalate the situation that is to avoid undermining the two sides’ efforts to ease the situation.
Zhao pointed out that for some time the Indian side has been ramping up infrastructure development along the border and stepping up military deployment that is the root-cause for the tensions between the two sides.
“We urge the Indian side to earnestly implement our consensus and refrain from actions that might escalate the situation and take concrete measures to safeguard peace and tranquility along the border,” he added.
According to reports, India has opened a series of new bridges. Many of them providing all-weather access to its disputed border with China. Around eight bridges were opened in Ladakh province, eight in Arunachal Pradesh and four in the Himalayan region.
Earlier, China has never been absent when it comes to supporting Africa, and will resolve the debt issue through friendly consultations with African countries, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
Zhao Lijian made the remarks in response to certain Western countries’ false accusations against China of not fully participating in the Group of 20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative and failing to help African countries reduce their debt burdens.
Zhao told a daily news briefing that China attaches great importance to debt suspension and alleviation in Africa and is committed to fully implementing the G20 debt relief initiative. China has announced important measures to alleviate African debt at the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19.
“We are following the consensus reached by the leaders of China and Africa and the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative and are actively responding to the concerns of the African side,” said Zhao. He added that the Export-Import Bank of China, as an official bilateral creditor, had signed debt suspension agreements with 11 African countries, and that non-official creditors had also reached consensus on debt relief with some African countries.
Zhao said China will exempt 15 African countries from interest-free loans due by the end of 2020, and continue to promote the international community, especially the G20, to further extend the duration of debt suspension.
The debts held by multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors account for more than three-quarters of the total foreign debt of African countries, he said, adding that those institutions and creditors should bear a greater responsibility for debt relief. “China’s cooperation with Africa never interferes in the internal affairs of African countries and political conditions are never attached. Those are the principles we hold when dealing with Africa’s debt problems.
