China has expressed regret over India's military action against Pakistan and said it is concerned about current developments.
"India and Pakistan are neighbors that cannot be moved, and both are also neighbors of China," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said, CNN reports.
As the conflict between Pakistan and India escalates, China has found itself in a difficult diplomatic situation.
For weeks, Beijing has been closely watching the responses between its longtime "iron friend," Islamabad, and New Delhi, a regional rival with which it has a long-standing border dispute.
This escalation of tensions comes at a time when China has been trying to improve relations with India, as part of a broader diplomatic push to strengthen ties with neighbors and trading partners, to counter pressure from the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is one of China's closest partners and a key supporter of its "One Belt, One Road" Initiative. China is Pakistan's main arms supplier. Chinese weapons accounted for 81 percent of Pakistan's arms imports in the past five years, according to data from the Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
On April 27, in a phone call with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed support for Pakistan and said that China is closely following developments between the countries.
"As a strong friend and cooperative strategic partner of Pakistan under all conditions, China fully understands Pakistan's legitimate security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests," Wang said. (A2 Televizion)
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