China’s Kashmir policy since the mid-2010s: ramifications of CPEC and India’s Kashmir reorganization

ABSTRACT Since the mid-2010s, China’s policy toward the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan has shifted away from its traditional contours, where Beijing distanced itself from the dispute and acted as a mere development partner in the Pakistan-controlled territory. Although the much-hyped China–Pakistan Economic Corridor itself did not significantly change the nature of China’s development and economic activities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, after its launch in 2015, Beijing signaled its willingness to take a mediator role, conducted activities entailing the employment of the PLA in the area, and even nudged Islamabad to take steps that would affect the geographical scope of the Kashmir sovereignty question. Then, in the wake of India’s announcement of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and the reorganization of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, China’s Kashmir policy further drifted away from its traditional line. References to the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir reemerged in China’s public statements and Beijing took diplomatic actions to support Pakistan’s bid to internationalize the Kashmir issue. As a result, China’s Kashmir policy has been turning into a serious source of friction in Sino–Indian relations.