Faux pas or intentional? China's Xinhua calls PoK region as Pakistani territory

A news report in China’s official news agency Xinhua raised eyebrows as it called the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which is located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a part of Pakistan.

The report in Xinhua announced the closure of the Khunjerab Pass for the winter season saying, “The pass is a strategic point on the Karakoram Highway, which links China’s Xinjiang with Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.”

The story that was published on Tuesday goes on to say that the Khunjerab Pass located in the “the China-Pakistan border has closed for the winter season, border control authorities said on Tuesday.”

While the Chinese have said they would not take sides on the India-Pakistan border dispute, they had earlier made similar remark.

NDTV reports “Four years ago, a similar statement by the Chinese government led to an official protest by India, forcing Beijing to withdraw it.”

And India is likely not to take this lying down.

India Today reports , “Despite the official stance of neutrality, India has expressed growing concerns over increasing Chinese investments in projects in PoK and stapled visas issued to Indians from Jammu and Kashmir, with the suggestion that the moves reflected a shift from China’s earlier position on the dispute.