A leading Chinese daily, which invariably represents the views of the Chinese government, on Tuesday suggested that India should accept the offer of third-party mediation on Kashmir instead of deliberately ignoring the international community’s attention and will on the issue.

“India should work harder to break the deadlock. Since Pakistan and India are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the SCO can provide a good platform for a regional solution,” the Global Times said in an op-ed.

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The daily said China has always supported international mediation because the peace and stability of South Asia was of great importance. ”If the India-Pakistan disputes lead to war or even a nuclear confrontation, then the two peoples will become innocent victims,” it added.

China’s national strategy and interests would also be seriously harmed. China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would face severe challenges in South Asia if the region suffered from war, it added.

China, the newspaper said, supported all countries, including the US, that sincerely aim at promoting peaceful negotiations between India and Pakistan, because this was also in line with Beijing’s own interests.

The article came days after US President Donald Trump offered to mediate between India and Pakistan for resolving the Kashmir issue. New Delhi, however, rejected the offer, saying there was no room for third party involvement in what was essentially a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

The daily said India should try to understand why the international community generally supported improving India-Pakistan relations through peaceful negotiations. ”That’s because during the more than 70 years of disputes, the two countries have always lacked an effective channel of negotiation. Clashes have erupted along the Line of Control, which have cost many innocent people’s lives,” it noted.

It stated that China would always respect India’s choice whether to accept international mediation or not. India was a major country in the region. And if India and Pakistan could resolve the issue properly and peacefully, India’s national image would be greatly enhanced, and its long-term stability and development would also benefit.

The dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir was something left by British colonisation. How India and Pakistan resolve the issue could help developing countries find a peaceful way to completely get rid of colonialism, it added.

The most important thing was the will and wisdom of India and Pakistan to seek a resolution to the issue through political negotiations, the newspaper concluded.