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As the third G20 meeting tourism working group meeting has begun today in Srinagar, China and Turkey will not join the crucial meet in Kashmir which is taking place after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
China's decision is likely to be derived from the objections of Pakistan, its close ally, which claimed that the G20 meetings are aimed at perpetuating India's “illegal occupation" of Jammu and Kashmir.
A formal statement issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated, “China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meetings on disputed territory. We will not attend such meetings.”
Both Pakistan and China have previously made unwarranted references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. India has constantly rejected the statements from Beijing and Islamabad on Jammu & Kashmir.
It is pertinent to note that India and China are also locked in a lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh for three years.
Media reports stated that Turkey is also expected to join China in its decision to oppose the G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar. However, no official statement has come from the officials yet. In the recent past, Turkey has criticized the Indian government's handling of the Kashmir issue.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army's troops have been patrolling the streets of J&K's summer capital Srinagar ahead of a G20 tourism meeting.
Security has been beefed up "at vulnerable locations to avoid any chance of terrorist attack during the G20" meeting.
It is the first diplomatic meeting in the union territory since Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government revoked its limited autonomy and took direct control in 2019.
The three-day gathering started on Monday at a sprawling, well-guarded venue on the shores of Dal Lake in Srinagar.
Roads leading to the location have been freshly black-topped, and electricity poles lit up in the colors of India's national flag to show what officials say is "normalcy and peace returning" to the region.
India has been promoting tourism in Kashmir and more than a million of its citizens visited last year. India holds the Group of 20 presidency for 2023 and has planned more than 100 meetings across the country.
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