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.
UPI
