China says no change in position on Masood Azhar

By Gaurav Sharma

Beijing, June 20 (IANS) A day after saying it shared India's concern about terrorism, China on Tuesday said it still had issues in declaring Pakistani militant Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.

"At present, some members still have a disagreement over the listing matter," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said here.

Beijing has in the past vetoed India's proposal at the UN Security Council to add Azhar to the list of international terrorists, citing lack of solid evidence against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief who is accused of plotting the Pathankot terror attack.

"We have talked about our position many times. We believe that the principles of objectivity and professionalism and justice shall be upheld," Geng said.

"China stands ready to remain in coordination and communication with the relevant parties on this issue."

Beijing's reaction comes a day after India and China expressed growing concerns over terrorism and forged consensus with BRICS countries to step up the fight against terrorism.

At the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meet on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China was a victim of terrorism and shared India's concern.

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said India and China agreed that terrorism posed a challenge to the whole world.