Double Standards? China Calls Internal Security Agreement With India ‘Helpful’, Continues To Protect Masood Azhar

China has signed its first internal security agreement with India with an aim to cooperate in the areas of counter-terrorism, organised crimes, drug control and other such relevant areas, The New Indian Express has reported.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the first India-China High-Level Meeting on Bilateral Security Cooperation co-chaired by Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and State Councilor and Minister of Public Security of China Mr Zhao Kezhi.

“An Agreement on Security Cooperation between the Ministry of Home Affairs of India and the Ministry of Public Security of China was also signed by the two Ministers. The Agreement will further strengthen and consolidate discussions and cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism, organised crimes, drug control and other such relevant areas”, a statement released by the government on PIB.

While China has commented that this agreement would be helpful, it has not displayed any change of stance regarding Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar. India had been trying to get him named as a ‘global terrorist’ at the United Nations, but China has blocked India’s attempts with its veto power. It has cited a lack of consensus between India and Pakistan on the matter and lack of proof to designate him as a ‘global terrorist’.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying said, “we have already stated our position for many times,” in response to a question on Masood Azhar. Hua Chunying also said that the two countries would explore more areas for security and law enforcement cooperation during her interaction with the media.