China denies troops in Gilgit-Baltistan

BEIJING, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- China has denied the presence of its troops in Gilgit-Baltistan, a disputed province in Kashmir claimed by both Pakistan and India.

In what many in New Delhi regard as a shift of position, Beijing voiced support of Pakistani claims on the disputed region by describing it in a statement as "a northern part of Pakistan," The Hindu reported Friday.

India views Gilgit-Baltistan as an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir that is under illegal Pakistani occupation. What is notable in China's pronouncement is that in the past Beijing avoided supporting either Indian or Pakistani claims to the disputed territory.

The issue of Chinese-Indian-Pakistani relations is complex. Pakistan sees China as an invaluable ally to counter India, while in 1962 China and India fought a brief border war over contested claims of sovereignty over the widely separated Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh border regions.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement stating: "The story that China has deployed its military in a northern part of Pakistan is totally groundless and out of ulterior motive. We believe the attempts of some people to fabricate stories to provoke China-Pakistan or China-India relations are doomed to fail."

Some Indian officials maintain that China appears to be reconsidering its position on Kashmir.