India, Pakistan should hold talks on missile misfire: China

Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

China on Monday weighed into the accidental firing of an Indian missile which landed in Pakistani territory, saying the two countries should hold a dialogue and thoroughly look into the incident.

People work around the remains of a missile fired into Pakistan from India, near Mian Channu, Pakistan, on March 9, 2022. (REUTERS)

Asked by a Pakistani journalist about China’s response on the “accidental firing” of the Indian missile, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said China had noted the relevant information

“Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability,” Zhao said on Monday.

“China calls on the countries to hold dialogue and communication as soon as possible, and look thoroughly into the incident, step up information sharing, and promptly establish a reporting mechanism so that such incidents will not happen again, and misunderstanding and misjudgement can be avoided,” Zhao added

On Friday, the Indian government said it had accidentally fired a missile that had landed in Pakistan and that the “deeply regrettable” incident was caused by a technical malfunction in the course of its routine maintenance.

Pakistan had said that a high-speed projectile launched from India entered its airspace and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district of the Punjab province.

India’s defence ministry had further added that the government had taken a serious view of the incident and ordered a “Court of Inquiry” into it.