China tells India not to raise Pakistan terror at BRICS
China has indicated that it would object any discussion during the upcoming BRICS summit about the safe havens provided by Pakistan to terrorist groups. Beijing is worried that Indian PM Narendra Modi, who is attending the summit at Xiamen, China, on September 3, might raise the issue. In last year's BRICS Summit in Goa, Modi called Pakistan the "mother-ship of terrorism."
"We also noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, during a briefing. "I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit," she added. She said Chinese leaders would be forced to defend their close ally Pakistan if the topic is raised, affecting the summit's success.
Pakistan's neighbors India and Afghanistan both stand united in their accusations against Islamabad's support for terrorist groups. US President Donald Trump also recently accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists and threatened to halt financial aid to Islamabad unless it mends its ways. With international pressure against Pakistan mounting, India is in a stronger position to call out Pakistan's terror support at the BRICS Summit.
Enhancing cooperation against terrorism is an important objective for BRICS, an international grouping which comprises of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. But for India, it's difficult to join hands with China unless Beijing stops ignoring its "all-weather ally" Pakistan's flawed policy of sponsoring terror. Instead, China feels the world must recognize Pakistan's "contributions and sacrifices" in counter-terrorism efforts.
