China asks India, Pak to resolve disputes through dialogue

Beijing, Aug 9 (IANS) China on Friday urged India and Pakistan to hold dialogue to resolve their disputes even as it stuck to its earlier position, asking India to stop "unilaterally changing the status quo" of Kashmir.The Chinese response came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived here to consult Beijing on the next steps to be taken in the wake of New Delhi revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. In a written response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: "We call on Pakistan and India to resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiation and jointly uphold regional peace and stability.""The pressing priority is that the relevant party should stop unilaterally changing the status quo and avoid escalation of tension," said China without directly referring to India's decision to revoke Article 370.
--IANS rn/rtp