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China holds meeting with Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan as tensions simmer with India
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the countries should step up cooperation for regional peace and security, and work together to curb the coronavirus
- Border friction between Beijing and New Delhi is likely to have motivated the talks that were ‘clearly meant to be pinpricks’ for India, analyst says
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China has hosted its first ever quadrilateral meeting with foreign ministers from Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan, as Beijing seeks to step up its influence in South Asia amid unresolved border friction with India.
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The video conference on Monday, which focused on coordinating the coronavirus response, took place as border tensions also simmer between India and some of its other neighbours, including Nepal and Pakistan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who hosted the call, said the four countries should strengthen their connections for regional peace and security, and called for more cooperation to prevent the cross-border spread of the virus, according to a foreign ministry statement.
But the talks went beyond the pandemic, veering into areas that are likely to displease India.
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Representing Pakistan, economy minister Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar praised cooperation on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which India has not joined because it passes through disputed parts of Kashmir that New Delhi views as being occupied by Pakistan.
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