Sushma Swaraj conducts meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, raises Pulwama terror attack

"I am visiting China at a time when there is grief and anger in India. It is the worst terrorist attack directed against our security forces in Jammu and Kashmir," she said in her opening remarks during the meeting held on the side-lines of Russia, India, China Foreign Ministers meeting.

It is reported that Swaraj raised Pulwma terror attack in her meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister. IMAGE: TWITTER/ @EOIBeijing

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday met on the sidelines of Russia-India-China Foreign Ministers' conference in China amid Beijing's continued blocking of India and other countries' moves to list Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN. The 16th meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers is being held at the Chinese city of Wuzhen in the eastern Zhejiang province just a day after India destroyed a major terror training camp in Pakistan. It is reported that Swaraj raised Pulwama terror attack in her meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister. "I am visiting China at a time when there is grief and anger in India. It is the worst terrorist attack directed against our security forces in Jammu and Kashmir," she said in her opening remarks during the meeting held on the side-lines of Russia, India, China Foreign Ministers meeting. "The attack was carried out by Jaish-e-Muhammad, the Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation,"she said.

#WATCH China: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meets her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Wuzhen. pic.twitter.com/RDLfXz6cqV

— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019

The meeting assumes significance as it will be the first high-level interaction between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed on February 14. China, while expressing shock over the incident, reiterated its stand to block moves to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee. This meeting is expected to provide an opportunity for both the ministers to have in-depth discussions on China's reluctance to back efforts by India, the US, the UK and France to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee. China, an "all-weather" ally of Pakistan and a veto-wielding member, has stonewalled all efforts by the four countries by putting technical holds since 2016. However France, also a veto-wielding member, has announced that it would move a new resolution in the 1267 Committee to list Azhar in the light of the Pulwama attack. (agency inputs)