China announced on Friday that it would not attend the upcoming G20 meeting in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK), despite being a member state of the G20.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the announcement during a regular media briefing at the International Press Center.
China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meetings in disputed territories, he categorically remarked.
The G20 summit meeting on tourism is scheduled to take place from May 22 to May 24 at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Center in Srinagar, Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. However, China’s refusal to attend underscores its opposition to holding such meetings in disputed regions.
Ahead of India’s G20 meeting, Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, expressed concern that the Indian government is using the G20 meeting as a means to normalize what some describe as a military occupation and portray it as international approval. Pakistan welcomed de Varennes’ statement, highlighting ongoing human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, political persecution, and restrictions in the region.
India, as the current chair of the G20, has organized various meetings across the country in preparation for the summit, which is set to take place in New Delhi in September.
China’s decision not to attend the G20 meeting in Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir stems from its discontent over India’s establishment of two federal territories, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, in 2019. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Turkey, a strong ally of Pakistan, is also expected to boycott the G20 meeting in Srinagar. Pakistan’s foreign officials have yet to respond to China’s decision.
